Ethical Data Initiative Townhall 2026
When: March 12, 2026
Where: Munich, Germany & online
The Ethical Data Initiative (EDI) invites participants to its Townhall Meeting, taking place on March 12, 2026, at the TUM Think Tank at the Technical University of Munich in Munich. The event is organised in collaboration with the University of Exeter and will be held in a hybrid format,both in person and online.
EDI is an international initiative dedicated to advancing ethical and responsible data practices across research, the public sector, and industry. It brings together academic institutions, policymakers, research infrastructures, and other stakeholders to develop practical tools and frameworks for responsible data governance. As data-driven technologies and algorithmic systems increasingly shape scientific processes, public administration, and everyday decision-making, robust data governance, transparency, and ethical oversight are essential to maintaining research integrity and protecting individual rights.
The annual Townhall Meeting provides an opportunity for the wider EDI community to come together, reflect on progress to date, and jointly set priorities for the year ahead. The programme will include updates on ongoing initiatives, contributions from international partners, and discussions focused on the practical implementation of ethical standards.
This year’s thematic focus is “Recommender Systems for Social Good.” The session will be led by Dr. Silvia Milano, whose work explores how to move beyond narrowly defined accuracy metrics and commercial performance indicators in algorithm design, promoting diversity, fairness, and user autonomy instead. The day before the forum, an intensive workshop will examine the social impacts and governance of recommender systems, with contributions from Prof. Dietmar Jannach and Prof. Alan Said.
The programme will also feature a keynote address by representatives of Local Contexts, offering an Indigenous perspective on data rights, cultural heritage, and ethics. Short partner presentations will include contributions from the Research Data Alliance (RDA), the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), the Leiden University Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS), the International Science Council’s International Data Policy Committee (IDPC), and the Italian National Supercomputing Centre (ICSC). Together, these contributions will highlight how ethical data and responsible research practices are being addressed across disciplines and sectors.
Registration and further information are available here.
Last updated on February 23, 2026
