Co-hosted by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the University of Exeter (UoE), the Ethical Data Initiative (EDI)’s core mission is to foster equity and responsibility in data practices. With over 350 affiliates and partners across the globe, the EDI acts as a non-partisan platform working to increase data literacy and promote a more human-centric approach to how data is collected, used and shared. Leveraging stakeholder and community engagement, the EDI aims to increase global visibility of ethical research and data practices.

In support of these goals, on 28th November 2025, the EDI hosted its second multi-stakeholder Town Hall. EDI partners, affiliates, and data ethics experts from its global community gathered online to showcase existing partnerships, spotlight the latest research, and develop new collaborations to address critical issues in data ethics, governance, and equity facing researchers and human societies today.

The event was opened by Dr Markus Siewert, Managing Director of the TUM Think Tank (TTT) at the Munich School of Politics and Public Policy, who highlighted the shared vision between the EDI and TTT on fostering responsible and resilient data. EDI Scientific Director Sabina Leonelli (Chair in Philosophy and History of Science and Technology at TUM) then introduced the mission of the EDI and the purpose of the Virtual Townhall, including various ways to provide feedback to speakers and EDI activities during and after the meeting.

Representing the EDI team at the University of Exeter, Suchith Anand, Professor of Practice in Science Policy and EDI Director of Outreach and Programmes, and Kathryn Bailey, Professor of Practice in Research Governance Partnerships and EDI Director of Operations, highlighted several of the EDI’s initiatives in the areas of policy, networks and community engagement.

One of these initiatives, pursued in collaboration with the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), the European Commission, and the European Network for Research Integrity Offices (ENRIO), consisted in organising a hybrid conference at the Palace of the Academies, Brussels entitled, “Advancing responsible research assessment systems in the digital space: A dialogue on ethics, integrity, and open infrastructures for research in the AI era”.

This one-day conference brought together European stakeholders involved in research assessment, including the European Commission, research funding organisations, research-performing organisations, infrastructure providers and developers, policy experts, and representatives from CoARA, ENRIO, OpenAIRE, and their affiliates. The open dialogue on the responsible integration of artificial intelligence into science and research funding mechanisms will contribute to effecting change in research assessment processes.

Ongoing initiatives such as the EDI’s Campaign for Data Ethics in Education, the UNESCO-accredited Ethical Data Discussion Series, and the EDI’s contributions to consultations on Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) continue to gain influence and momentum across multiple sectors, including research funding bodies and key stakeholders within Higher Education.

In response to a question from the Townhall audience about the EDI’s work on indigenous data sovereignty, Professor Leonelli announced an exciting new EDI collaboration with Local Contexts, a global initiative that supports indigenous communities with tools that can reassert cultural authority in heritage collections and data. The organisation is spearheading efforts to protect and expand indigenous data sovereignty and to ensure that indigenous knowledge is credited within data infrastructures. The EDI looks forward to developing this collaboration in the coming year and is delighted to confirm that the Directors of Local Contexts will be keynote speakers at the next Ethical Data Initiative Townhall on Thursday, 12 March 2026.

The focus then moved to education. Dr Kim Hajek and Dr Paul Trauttmansdorff, both EDI Postdoctoral Research Fellows based in the Chair for Philosophy and History of Science and Technology at TUM, showcased the innovative EDI Data Clinics initiative. These data clinics, which are interactive teaching formats at the TUM Chair for Philosophy and History of Science and Technology, teach data ethics using case studies of real-world ethical challenges and decision-making processes. The teaching incorporates interactive collaboration with data workers, data practitioners and communities and comprises mutual learning opportunities for students, teachers, and partners alike. Each clinic is grounded within a context specific to its participants, making complex concepts more accessible by bridging theory and practice.

Another innovative approach to teaching data ethics that the EDI is pursuing includes the development of interactive Data Stories. These stories will be presented as short videos that draw on real-life data work case studies, and are informed by academic research to achieve both relevance and relatability. The first story, “File Formats and Exclusion in Open Science Infrastructures”, is currently in development.

Ultimately, educational materials produced by the EDI should become available on LabXchange, a content library hosted by Harvard Online. LabXchange contains thousands of free educational resources and will be the perfect home for EDI outputs, given its global reach and infrastructure that supports underrepresented communities through low-bandwidth access.

Furthering its mission to build an influential, interdisciplinary and globally connected community, the EDI was proud to announce four significant new partnerships established in 2025: The Research Data Alliance (RDA), the Declaration on Research Assessment (DoRA), the Italian research centre for Big Data and Quantum Computing – ICSC, and the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS). Representatives from each of these new partner organisations were invited to deliver a keynote presentation at the Town Hall.

Hilary Hanahoe, Secretary General and CEO of the Research Data Alliance (RDA), began by celebrating the unique partnership with the EDI, stating: “We have lots of collaborations in the Research Data Alliance, but the one with the Ethical Data Initiative brings you to places you’ll never expect, all really wonderful and of so much value to our community.” Her presentation highlighted the RDA’s collaboration with Microsoft, entitled “Global Community Priorities for Agentic AI in Research”. The project includes community consultation to bridge industry innovation with research infrastructure needs. Results of the consultation will be openly available from the end of December 2025 and will be a valuable resource for the EDI’s ongoing research and education programmes.

Having increased its membership from 350 in 2013 to over 16,000 in 2025, and building on the success of its October 2025 International Data Week in Brisbane which was attended by over 800 affiliates, the RDA aims to increase its global footprint and enhance inclusivity by further strengthening its partnerships in 2026 with a succession of Research Data Alliance Community Meetings to be held throughout the year with the active participation of the EDI.

Dr Rodrigo Costas then presented on behalf of the UNESCO Chair on Diversity & Inclusion in Global Science at the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS), University of Leiden. The interdisciplinary team at CWTS is currently working on two key areas of activity. First, monitoring and evaluation methods that illuminate progress towards diversity and inclusion in science and second, developing “The Multiversatory”, a tool designed to promote a pluralistic perspective for research assessment.

Dr Arnaud Céol, Technical Project Manager at the Italian Research Centre on High-performance Computing, Big Data and Quantum Computing (Fondazione ICSC), University of Bologna, expressed the ICSC’s commitment to exploring ways to develop collaboration with the EDI community. Dr Céol highlighted one of the ICSC’s exciting new initiatives, the “IT4LIA AI FACTORY: Solutions for Business, Research & Society”. The project, which targets public and private entities interested in developing innovative AI-based projects, is fully aligned with the EU’s determination to become the leading AI continent, creating trustworthy, human-centric AI essential to driving economic growth and preserving the fundamental rights and principles that underpin our societies.

The final keynote presentation was delivered by Dr Kelly Cobey, Co-Chair of the Declaration on Research Assessment (DoRA), who outlined the key initiatives underway to deliver DoRA’s mission to “advance practical and robust approaches to improve how research is assessed across all scholarly disciplines globally”.

Working to address flaws and imbalances in existing processes and to drive culture change in research ethos and in the criteria and rigour of research assessment, DoRA has compiled 18 recommendations for funders, institutions, publishers, metrics suppliers, and researchers. Responses to date demonstrate strong community support for change.

DoRA’s newest resource, “A practical guide to implementing responsible research assessment at research performing organizations”, was published in May 2025, and a similar guide for funding institutions will be published in 2026.

The final session of the Town Hall turned the spotlight on groundbreaking new research. Dr Silvia Milano, EDI Head of Research at TUM and based in the Chair of Philosophy and History of Science and Technology, is leading research on Recommender Systems for Social Good (RS4Good), outlining the complex issues and research questions that are at the heart of the project and demonstrating the urgency to answer them.

The algorithms that are used to filter information affect all of us every day. Recommender systems are split between academic research and commercial applications, but there is a lack of transparency in how our personal data is used. Claims for the benefits that personalisation brings, including increased business, improved user satisfaction, and connection with new audiences, are seldom substantiated by robust, unbiased research data.

Dr Milano’s research investigates the benefits and drawbacks of interacting with recommender systems. The profound implications of recommender systems and AI assistants on our freedoms and autonomy demand rigorous scrutiny and analysis, but the potential for socially positive applications of RecSys4G must also be explored.

Most respondents to a survey conducted during Dr Milano’s presentation felt their interactions with recommender systems were either neutral or negative, with only one respondent reporting using them for social good. Dr Milano’s research is fundamental to addressing these issues. See Dr Milano’s blog, Recommender Systems for Social Good: Moving Beyond Accuracy – The Ethical Data Initiative, for more detailed information about her research.

Although the opportunity for discussion was limited by the online format, the Town Hall inspired diverse and thought-provoking input from participants. If you want to join the conversation, you can join the EDI Affiliate Network, or register your participation at the next EDI Town Hall to be held in Munich on Thursday, 12^th March 2026. This will be an in-person event providing an open and inclusive forum for sharing information, debate and community building.