ERCIM Forum Beyond Compliance on Digital Ethics 2026

29–30 October 2026 – Porto, Portugal

The 5th edition of ERCIM Forum Beyond Compliance on research ethics in the digital age will be held on 29–30 October 2026 in Porto, Portugal. Beyond establishing ethical norms to comply with, this forum explores digital ethics problems in the practical settings of academia. It provides an inclusive space to interact with international experts, and welcomes anyone concerned with digital ethics in their research activities.

Themes and Speakers

This year the forum will feature three sessions and a keynote, examining how we conduct research on, or with: (i) XAI limitations, (ii) AI in Healthcare, (ii) digital ethics committees, (iv) AI companions and vulnerable publics.

XAI Limitations & Vulnerability

Thursday 29 October, morning

What critical gaps remain for uncertainty-aware, meaningful, and understandable use of XAI in healthcare and industry?
Chair: Emma Beauxis-Aussalet (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Sepideh Pashami (RISE, Sweden)
Ajitha Rajan (Edinburgh University, UK)

Keynote on AI in Healthcare, by Tugce Schmitt

Maastricht University, Netherlands
Thursday 29 October, morning

The Need for National Digital Ethics Committees in Europe

Thursday 29 October, afternoon

What competence should national ethics committees acquire in digital ethics?
How to coordinate national ethics committees with diverse positions?
How to address competing digital ethics policies without leveling down European values?
Chair: Laurynas Adomaitis (RISE, Sweden)

Claude Kirchner (Head of National Digital Ethics Committee, France)
Vasiliki Mollaki (National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Greece)
Frank Beck Lassen (Head of Section at National Center for Ethics, Denmark)
Yves Moreau (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium)
Other speakers to be confirmed

AI Companions and Vulnerable Publics

Friday 30 October, morning

How to research their impacts and safety, while conducting safe research?
Chair: Alexei Grinbaum (CEA, France)

Angelica Henestrosa (THWS, Germany)
Alexandra Prégent (CEA, France)
Jean Gové (Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome)

Venue and Co-Located Events

This event is free of charge, and will be held at INESC TEC in Porto, Portugal. It will be co-located with the ERCIM Fall Meeting , and with an AIOLIA training workshop on 28 October. It will follow the ECSS conference of Informatics Europe, which also includes a workshop on digital ethics.

This event can only be attended in person. No live streaming will be available, but most talks and their summaries will be published online. See previous events and our YouTube playlists. Stay tuned with our mailing list for the videos of the talks.

Subscribe to ERCIM digital ethics mailing list (~3 emails/year)

Organisation

This event is sponsored by ERCIM, INESC TEC, the National Digital Ethics Committee of France (CCNEN). It is organised by the ERCIM Working Group on Digital Ethics, which is currently recruiting new members and curators.

We look forward to seeing you in Porto!

Emma and Laurynas
On behalf of the Organising Committee

Alexei Grinbaum (CEA, France)
Anaelle Martin (CCNEN, France)
Christos Alexakos (ISI/ATHENA RC, Greece)
Claude Kirchner (CCNEN and INRIA, France)
Emma Beauxis-Aussalet (VU, Netherlands)
Gabriel David (INESC TEC, Portugal)
Guenter Koch (AARIT, Austria, and Humboldt Cosmos Multiversity, Spain)
Laurynas Adomaitis (RISE, Sweden)
Michèle Barbier (INRIA, France)
Miriam Santos (INESC TEC, Portugal)
Noémie Dié (Dassault Systèmes, France)
Sylvain Petitjean (INRIA, France)
Vasco Dias (INESC TEC, Portugal)