ECDF and Elsevier announce ‘Conversations on Science in the Digital Future’ initiative

Einstein Center Digital Future (ECDF), the center for digitalization research based in Berlin, and Elsevier, a global leader in research publishing and information analytics, will co-host an innovative new series of panel discussions for the research community – ‘ECDF and Elsevier Conversations on Science in the Digital Future’.

The research community has access to many tools and services that provide research information and analytics. The number and capabilities of these tools and services is growing, as computer power continues to increase, technologies get more sophisticated, and the volume of research information and data expands. The ‘Conversations on Science in the Digital Future’ initiative aims to promote an open dialogue about data usage in the research sector. We hope these discussions will lead to greater understanding and collaboration between the research community, publishers and societies.

Over the next several months, the series will take deep dives into current and impactful topics, covering data usage in science, data privacy, vulnerable population and assessment data, synthetic data, and artificial intelligence and ethics in scholarly publishing. The hybrid events will take place at the ECDF in Berlin and online.

The initiative will start on 22 November 2022 with the first event on ‘Data Privacy in the Digital Era’. Dr. Max von Grafenstein, Professor for Digital Self-Determination at ECDF and Universität der Künste Berlin, Dr. IJsbrand Jan Aalbersberg, SVP of Research Integrity at Elsevier, and Dr. Wolfram Horstmann, Director of the SUB Göttingen Library and Head of the DFG Libraries Committee, will discuss topics such as usage tracking, its purposes and limitations, and what governance is needed to create transparency and foster trust.

Dr. Odej Kao, Professor for Computer Science and Speaker of the ECDF, said: “One part of digitalization of research is aimed at innovation and developing solutions for current challenges, however, at ECDF we also focus on the impact of an increasingly digitalized world on individuals and our society. When it comes to collecting data, ethical questions and privacy concerns need to weigh just as heavily as the benefits for researchers, their institutions and connected businesses. This is exactly what we intend with this series: Transparent and diverse conversations on research data and its utilization in the digital era.”

Dr. Max Voegler, VP Global Strategic Networks at Elsevier, said: “Supporting research in the digital era requires an open and proactive conversation between the various stakeholders in and around the research community. Individual researchers and their institutions rightly want to know what data is being collected, how it is processed, shared, and the benefits to them. In collaboration with ECDF, the aim of this series is to promote a diverse and insightful exchange of ideas on responsible research data usage and how it can support innovation, research and entrepreneurship.”

To register for the first panel discussion, ‘Data Privacy in the Digital Era’ on 22 November 2022 at 3pm CET, please email your full name, job title and organization you work for to [email protected]

This article was first published on 14 November by Elsevier.