Professor Louise Bezuidenhout explains how ENVRI-Hub NEXT fits within the wider ethical commitments set by the European Union and international frameworks, such as the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science and the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity.
Her presentation stresses that science must be not only transparent but also inclusive, fair, and sustainable, if it is to be considered truly ethical. She also addressed the need for careful management of personal data in line with GDPR requirements, the risks linked to dual-use research, and the importance of responsible data integration and reuse.
On the topic of AI, she introduces the concepts of Ethics by Design and Ethics of Use, emphasising that AI technologies must be designed and applied in ways that respect human rights, privacy, fairness, and accountability, ensuring that advanced technologies are used responsibly throughout the project.
Dr. Heikki Lihavainen, focuses on the ethical challenges related to environmental data, which lies at the core of ENVRI-Hub NEXT. He points out that issues such as data collection bias can have real-world consequences, as poorly designed data collection can distort scientific findings and lead to unfair or misleading conclusions.
Dr. Lihavainen underlines the need for environmental data to be representative, inclusive, and transparent. He encourages the use of accessible language and clear metadata, so that data can be understood and used by a wide range of people, from scientists to local communities.
His presentation also addressed data privacy and confidentiality, highlighting the importance of secure data handling, anonymisation techniques, and respecting the rights of individuals whose information may be part of environmental datasets. A particularly important aspect of his talk concerns data sovereignty and indigenous knowledge, with a strong call to meaningfully engage Indigenous communities in the data collection process and to respect their rights over data concerning their traditional knowledge and territories.
Ethical responsibility in research goes beyond simply following legal rules. It requires thoughtful, critical assessment of research objectives, methods, and potential consequences.
In her presentation, Professor Stavroula Tsinorema offers a structured ethical framework specifically tailored to the ENVRI-Hub NEXT project. She explores key ethical concerns, including the role of human participants in co-creation activities, the handling of both personal and research data, and the growing use of AI for data processing.
She draws attention to privacy-related risks, the limitations of standard consent models in the context of big data and AI, and the risks of algorithmic bias, especially when datasets lack diversity or quality.
Building on well-established bioethical principles, Professor Tsinorema outlines a set of values to guide the project, including dignity, autonomy, justice, beneficence, non-maleficence, and solidarity, along with procedural principles such as accountability, transparency, and explainability.
She closes her talk by highlighting the importance of developing a robust, trustworthy governance framework that brings together strong data governance, ethically sound AI design, inclusive engagement with stakeholders, and practical measures to keep the project aligned with both EU regulations and broader social values.
