Within the framework of Aurora 2030 – Work Package 10 “Open Science and Citizen Science”, Task Team 10.2 is organising the second Open Seminar addressing the legal, ethical, and data-related challenges of Open Science and Citizen Science in contemporary research.
The event, entitled “Legal and Ethical Challenges, Data Protection, Open Licensing for Community-driven Research”, will take place on 16 April 2026, from 10:00 to 12:00 (CET) in an online format, representing a key milestone in the seminar series aimed at strengthening awareness and competencies in Open Science practices.
Objectives and Key Topics
The seminar will explore the strategic implementation of Open Science within the European Research Area (ERA), while highlighting the transformative potential of Citizen Science in higher education.
Key topics include:
- FAIR principles and data governance, ensuring high-quality, accessible, and reusable research outputs;
- Legal and ethical challenges, including data protection, privacy concerns, and open licensing frameworks;
- The role of university libraries as central actors in supporting data management and Open Science infrastructures;
- The intersection between Artificial Intelligence and participatory research, with a focus on its societal and democratic implications.
The session will also feature a roundtable discussion, fostering dialogue and exchange of best practices among experts and participants.
Speakers
Jitka Stilund Hansen (DTU) is educated in biology and has worked for several years as a researcher in toxicology and public health. For the last 9 years, Jitka has worked in research support mainly at university libraries. Now, being a research data management specialist at DTU Library, she supports researchers, research support staff and management by teaching and developing data management practices across the university. She’s part of the team managing the institutional research data repository at DTU.
Augusto Romano (Università Federico II of Naples) is an Associate Professor of Philosophy of Law in the Law Department at UNINA. He has widley published on topics linked to Ethics, Technologies, Law and AI. Among his publications, in Italy and abroad, we find the following monographs: Continuum spazio-tempo, diritto e democrazia (2013); La sterilizzazione umana in un approccio biogiuridico (2013); Causalità giuridica e fisica contemporanea (2005). His research focuses on the nexus between law and ‘hard sciences’, while addressing the philosophical-legal aspects of criminal law and the ethical and legal implications of the development of artificial intelligence; he has also published numerousstudies on bio-law. Associate Professor of Philosophy of Law, specialising in the ethical and legal implications of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence.
Chair
The seminar will be chaired by Alessandro Manni (Università Federico II of Naples).
A structured learning pathway
This event is part of a broader series of workshops, training sessions, and seminars running from November 2025 to May 2026, designed to equip doctoral and Master students, early-career researchers, and academic staff with essential skills in Open Science and Citizen Science.
By combining theoretical insights, practical applications, and interdisciplinary dialogue, the programme aims to foster a more inclusive, transparent, and responsible research ecosystem, contributing to the development of open and collaborative scholarly communities.