Changes to the EU’s regulations regarding ICT-based research and innovation are creating a new scenario, one to which stakeholders, policymakers and citizens must adapt – and as quickly as possible. This is likely to be challenging, however.

Enter PANELFIT. This project – ‘Participatory Approaches to a New Ethical and Legal Framework for ICT’ – will help different stakeholders adapt to and understand these new regulations. Funded under the EU’s H2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement 788039), the project will facilitate the implementation of new European data protection regulations (e.g. GDPR).

Among other activities, it will:
•    produce a set of outcomes that serve as operational standards and practical guidelines to reduce the ethical and legal issues posed by ICT technologies
•    suggest improvements to the current regulatory and governance framework
•    create mutual learning and support tools
•    promote networking among stakeholders and policymakers
•    increase the quantity and quality of information available to policymakers, professionals, journalists and the general public.

The project is well under way, and there are several ways you can learn more about this complex, often confusing, subject. For example, PANELFIT’s monthly chats offer a chance to ask experts questions about specific subjects; you can find out about upcoming themes by subscribing to the project newsletter or following PANELFIT on Twitter or Facebook.

PANELFIT has also launched an online open course on ‘Ethical and legal issues regarding ICT data protection’. Registration is open until 30 November 2019. The course will be made available several more times throughout the project, and we will share these dates via ECSA’s newsletter and social media channels as well.

See also our upcoming Workshop on ethical and legal issues around ICTs