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Panel

Ethics first: rethinking research assessment in the age of AI and open science

17 September 2025| 14:00
81/R-003B - Science Gateway Auditorium B

Moderator

Perihan Elif Ekmekci

TOBB ETU
Prof. Dr. Perihan Elif Ekmekci is a leading expert in bioethics, medical ethics, and AI ethics, with a career dedicated to the ethical dimensions of healthcare and technology. She held key roles at the Turkish Ministry of Health, including EU Relations Department Head, and represented Turkey at the ECDC Advisory Board. In academia, she serves as Deputy Dean and Head of Medical Ethics at TOBB ETU. Her interdisciplinary work spans public health, psychiatry, and AI, and she chairs the International Unit in Bioethics/WMA Cooperation Center while contributing to Open Science and global ethical governance initiatives.

Rethinking Research Assessment for the Age of AI and Open Science

As digital tools and AI reshape research, how do we ensure assessment remains ethical, fair, and fit for purpose? This panel by the CoARA-ERIP Working Group explores new frameworks for evaluating digital and AI-driven research, with a focus on integrity, interdisciplinarity, and societal relevance. Join us to help shape a future of responsible and inclusive research evaluation.

As artificial intelligence (AI) and open science reshape research practices and outputs, the need for ethical, reliable, and transparent research assessment has become urgent for academia and science. Traditional evaluation models focused on impact factors, citations, and rigid disciplinary boundaries are increasingly misaligned with open science, open innovation, and the evolving digital research landscape.
This panel, hosted by the CoARA Working Group on 'Ethics and Research Integrity Policy for Responsible Research Assessment in Data and Artificial Intelligence (CoARA-ERIP)', will explore how ethics-based frameworks for digital research contributions can guide the transformation of research assessment systems with the evolving ethics and regulatory frameworks for data and AI. The discussion will reflect on practical tools and policy solutions emerging from CoARA-ERIP’s workstreams, with particular attention to evaluating AI-generated content, assessing interdisciplinary contributions, and ensuring responsible qualitative and quantitative criterium that reflect integrity, equity, and societal relevance.
The panel brings together a transdisciplinary and diverse panel who have contributed to the development of ethics, integrity, and data governance through CoARA-ERIP and other European and global initiatives. They will share diverse institutional and international experiences, outline ethical risks and opportunities in digital research evaluation, and engage the audience in dialogue about implementing more just and reflective assessment systems. This session with short presentations and interactive audience participation will be especially relevant for institutions, funders, and open science stakeholders developing new evaluation frameworks that keep pace with digital technologies in science and education while addressing the needs of our evolving digital societies.

Panelists

Mara de Sousa Freitas

Director of the Institute of Bioethics of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (IB-UCP)
A bioethicist and legal scholar, She coordinates academic programs in ethics, chairs multiple health ethics committees, and serves as an EU ethics evaluator. Her research spans AI, digital ethics, palliative care, and health justice. She leads Portugal’s contributions to ethics governance and education in responsible AI use.

Francis P. Crawley

CoARA Ethics and Research Integrity Policy Working Group on Responsible Research Assessment in Data and Artificial Intelligence (CoARA-ERIP)
Francis brings 30+ years of global leadership in research ethics and health data governance. He has shaped EU and WHO guidance on GCP, ethics review, AI, and crisis data sharing, and served as GDPR Data Protection Officer. His expertise spans legal, technical, and policy domains in research and data ethics.

Gitanjali Yadav

Scientist at NIPGR, Visiting Lecturer at the University of Cambridge
Dr. Gitanjali Yadav is a Scientist at NIPGR and the cofounder of #semanticClimate, as well as a visiting Lecturer at the University of Cambridge. An expert in Genomics and Machine Intelligence, she works in the areas of Food security and Conservation. She has a diverse educational background with a Ph.D. in Immunology, a Master's degree in Biomedicine and a Graduate degree in Botany. She has worked with the UKHSA to train public health officers in genomic surveillance for SARS-Cov2. Gita is a strong advocate of Open Access and co-chairs the International Data Policy Committee (IDPC) in CODATA in the International Science Union, as well as the CoARA-ERIP Working Group. She has received several awards in recognition of her work, including the Hamied Fellowship from the University of Cambridge, Exceptional Talent Award from the Royal Society of London, INSA Medal by the Indian Naional Science Academy, and the SASTRA Obaid Siddiqi Life Science Award.