Kim Hajek - The Ethical Data Initiative

Our mission is to bring together diverse global stakeholders to proactively shape the future of data governance. As science enters a “fourth scientific paradigm,” shifting from hypothesis-driven research to data-driven discovery, the EDI addresses the critical challenges of this new era, including the “reproducibility crisis” and the “black box” problem of opaque AI models.

Global Alliances: We lead the Research Assessment for Ethics, Data and AI Discussion Series, uniting international partners such as CoARA, CODATA, RDA, and DoRA to advance responsible research practices.
High-Level Advocacy: In June 2025, we co-organised a pivotal conference in Brussels with the European Commission to reform research assessment in the European digital space.
Policy Influence: We provide expert guidance to national bodies, such as contributing to UKRI Smart Data Research UK’s ethical standards for smart data.
Ethical Stewardship: We advocate for moving beyond narrow quantitative metrics to funding models that reward data integrity and ethical stewardship .

Author: Kim Hajek

Public Value and Responsibility in Sharing Health Data: A Data Clinic on the European Health Data Space

Data Ethics in Practice: A ‘Data Clinic’ Exploring the Use of AI in Fintech across Africa

Data Shadows: When data become tangible, material, and fragile

Understanding Misinformation: International Symposium