Data for Policy 2026 (DfP’26)
Governance of/with AI: Implications for Data, Infrastructure, and Tech Sovereignty
8-10 September 2026 – Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
#dataforpolicy2026 #DfP2026 | @dataforpolicy
Data for Policy 2026 (DfP’26)
Twin Transition in Data and Policy for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future
Twin Transition in Data and Policy for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future
#dataforpolicy2026 | @dataforpolicy
Data for Policy 2026
Twin Transition in Data and Policy for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future
Governance of/with AI: Implications for Data, Infrastructure, and Tech Sovereignty
8-10 September 2026 – Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
Data for Policy 2026 – Programme
8 – 10 September 2026
Please Note: Programme may be subject to change at short notice
Venue:
Rooms: A (Auditorium), Room B, Room C and Room D
For detailed information about the rooms where the presentations will take place, you can refer to the map here.
Day One
8th September 2026
08:30
Arrivals & Registration
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09:00
Welcome and Opening Remarks
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09:15
Keynote 1
Keynote (Auditorium): Alberto Gago Fernández
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Alberto Gago Fernández – Director of Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence (AESIA).
Alberto Gago is Director of Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence (AESIA). During Spain’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, he led digital regulatory coordination and took part in negotiations on the AI Act, as well as in agreements with Latin America and the private sector.
He promoted Spain’s AI Sandbox, the first regulatory sandbox in the EU, and contributed to the creation of Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence (AESIA). He participated in initiatives such as Gaia-X Spain, ESNA, and ETCI, and in national digital and AI strategies.
He represented Spain at the UN, OECD, and G20, advancing ethical AI governance and supporting the establishment of the UN AI Governance Lab in Spain.
09:30
Plenary Session 1
Curated Panel (Auditorium): Strategies for a Public AI: cooperation for sovereignty, governance and resilience
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Panel: Strategies for a Public AI: cooperation for sovereignty, governance and resilience
Panelists:
- Enric Biosca Trias – Chief Data Technology Officer, Barcelona City Council
- Jaume Miralles Solé – Director General for Artificial Intelligence, Efficiency and Data in Public Administration of the Government of Catalonia (DGIA)
- Alberto Gago Fernández – Director of Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence (AESIA).
Chair: Luca Cominassi – External Consultant, Barcelona Supercomputing Centre
Panel Abstract:
As AI becomes essential infrastructure, the public sector faces a critical choice: rely on private platforms, or develop and govern AI in the public interest. This panel will explore how to orchestrate AI development under transparent governance, public accountability and a clear focus on public-purpose functions. The pioneering initiatives undertaken by Spain and Catalonia – including those led by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, such as ALIA and the AI Factory – point in this direction and could serve as a model for multilateral collaboration as well.
Questions:
- Is our limited public capacity in AI constraining our collective ability to shape its direction? If this is true, how do we ensure that AI delivers benefits for all and reflects broader societal values?
- What would it look like to treat AI more like a public utility: transparent, accountable, and designed to serve shared goals?
- How can governments use their purchasing power to shape the AI market in ways that deepen democracy and strengthen institutions?
- The European Commission recently adopted a new Tech Sovereignty package aimed at reducing Europe’s reliance on non-EU providers for key technologies, data, and infrastructure: are we heading in the right direction?
10:15
Coffee Break
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10:45
Parallel Session 1
- Participatory AI and Public Perception – PS A.1
- Technologies for AI Governance – PS B.1
- DS Special Track Session: Adaptive Institutions – PS C.1
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Session A1 (Auditorium) :
Chair:
• “Paving the Way to Participatory Public Engagement on AI”; Susan Oman, Tim Davies, Canning Malkin, Octavia Field Reid, Erin Mccloskey and Emily Rempel (Submission #175)
• “Public feeling on AI: taking an inequalities lens to the evidence”; Susan Oman – UK. (Submission #215)
• “From Principles to Longitudinal AI Governance: An Evidence-Based Framework for Continuous Oversight”; Marisa Vasconcelos – Computer Science Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Ramon G. Pereira – Computer Science Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Luís Eduardo Brito – Computer Science Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Michele A. Brandão – Computer Science Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Humberto T. Marques-Neto – Computer Science Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Jussara M. Almeida – Computer Science Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Ana Paula Couto da Silva – Computer Science Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Wagner Meira Jr. – Computer Science Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and Virgílio Almedia – Computer Science Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. (Submission #DAP-2026-0231)
Session B1: (Room B)
Chair: Carlos (Chato) Castillo – Universitat Pompeu Fabra
- “HILDA Analyst: Governance Practices for Responsible AI-Assisted Policy Analysis”; Ujjwal Kc – Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, Taylor Ey – Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research and Jan Kabatek – Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research. (Submission #26)
- “The UK Parliament Evidence Tracker: An AI-Powered Tool for Monitoring Research Evidence Use in Legislative Debate”; Afagh Mulazadeh – University College London, Laurence Brandenberger – University of Zurich, Sophia Schlosser – University of Zurich, Luis Salamanca – Swiss Data Science Center, ETH Zurich, Yifei Yuan – Swiss Data Science Center, ETH Zurich, Andrew Plume – University College London and Research Collaboration Unit, Elsevier and Chris Tyler – University College London. (Submission #181)
- “From Policy Questions to Experimental Design”; Chloe Gros – Leiden University, eLaw – Center for Law and Digital Technologies, Eduard Fosch-Villaronga, – Leiden University, eLaw – Center for Law and Digital Technologies, Mohammed Raiz Shaffique – Leiden University, Marie Schwed Shenker – Leiden University, eLaw – Center for Law and Digital Technologies, Matteo Lancini – University of Brescia, Department of Medical-Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, Giorgia Gatto – University of Brescia, Department of Medical-Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, Roy de Kleijn – Leiden University, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erik Prinsen – Roessingh, Center for Rehabilitation & University of Twente and Giulia Ramella – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, EPFL. (Submission #145)
- “Advancing Equity in AI for Health: A Living Global Policy Repository.” ; Claudia Lopes – United Nations University. (Submission #142)
DS Special Track Session C1: (Room C)
Chair: Dr David Uriel Socol de la Osa – Hitotsubashi University
- Human-oriented architectures for governing the algorithmic age”; Viviana Bastidas, Atsushi Tozawa and Jennifer Schooling. (Submission #147)
- “Boundary objects for re-institutionalising the algorithmic state”; Sem Nouws and Marijn Janssen. (Submission #221)
- “From Spatial Data to Policy Action: Uzbekistan’s Experience with Location Intelligence and Outcome-Oriented Governance” ; Farhod Omonov and Aziza Umarova. (Submission #223)
11:45
Parallel Session 2
- Accountability and Transparency – PS A.2
- Tax & AI-Driven law – PS B.2
- DS Special Track: The Foundations of Digital Statecraft (Workshop) – PS C.2
- Data spaces and Decentralised Mechanisms – PS D.2
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Session A2 (Auditorium):
Chair:
- “Rethinking Auditability in AI: Data Quality as the Cornerstone of Responsible AI Systems, Governance, and Accountability” ; Francisco Herrera Triguero – University of Granada. (Submission #DAP-2026-0149)
- “Adequate AI explainability requirements: Reconciling tensions with secrecy, security, and accuracy” ; Marie-Claire Najjar – European University Institute. (Submission #126)
- “How to Use Open Data to Improve Transparency, Efficiency, and Accountability of a Public Institution in light of the European Union Framework” ; Camilla Turelli -Fondazione Etica, Marta Venturelli – Centro Rep, Nicoletta Parisi -Fondazione Etica Irene Colosio – Fondazione Etica, Gabriele Massaro – Fondazione Etica and Davide Pasquale Cacozza – Fondazione Etica. (Submission #30)
Session B2: (Room B)
Chair:
- “AI and Jurisprudential Analysis in Tax Law” ; Eleonora Lozano Rodriguez – Universidad de los Andes. (Submission #222).
- “A legal system of prevention rather than punishment.” ; Sandra Felizia – Universidad Nacional de Rosario/Universidad Abierta Interamericana, Alejandro Laje – Universidad Abierta Interamericana, Gerónimo Martinez – Universidad Abierta Interamericana, Carlos Molina-Jimenez – Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge, Hazem Danny Al-Nakib – The Centre for ReDecentralisation (CRDC), University of Cambridge and Jon Crowcroft – Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge. (Submission #220)
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“Normative Compliance by Design in High-Risk AI Systems: The case of the Judicial Assistant AI-Insolvency.” ; Mireia Artigot Golobardes – Universitat Pompeu Fabra. (Submission #136)
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“Transparency for Whom? Procedural Transparency and User Responsibilisation in AI Governance of Banking Services.” ; Yuening Li – University College Dublin and Aphra Kerr – University College Dublin. (Submission #99)
DS Special Track Session C2: The Foundations of Digital Statecraft (Workshop) (Room C)
“Governing Well in the Algorithmic Age: The Foundations of Digital Statecraft” – Zeynep Engin · Tim Gordon · Viviana Bastidas · Tom Crick · Jon Crowcroft · Jean-Martin Denis · David J. Hand · Lauren Maffeo · Jakob Mökander · Irene Ng · Anastasija Nikiforova · Giulio Quaggiotto · David Uriel Socol de la Osa · Rhonda Syler · Philip Treleaven · Stefaan Verhulst
Chair(s):
- Dr Zeynep Engin – Co-Founder, The Digital Statecraft Academy (DSA)
- Tim Gordon – Co-Founder, The Digital Statecraft Academy (DSA)
Panelists:
- Dr Viviana Bastidas – University of Cambridge
- Dr David Uriel Socol de la Osa – Hitotsubashi University
- Prof Irene Ng – Dataswyft
- Dr Stefaan Verhulst – The GovLab, New York University and The Data Tank
Session D2: (Room D)
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“Insights into the Bulgarian Data Space Program: A Method for Identifying Viable Data Spaces” ; Marcel Altendeitering and Anna Maria Schleimer. (Submission #DAP-2026-0200)
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“Portable principles, local conditions: translating data space governance outside the EU.” ; Viivi Lähteenoja – 1001 Lakes Oy, University of Helsinki, Amber Daniels – The Western Australian Biodiversity Science Institute (WABSI), Chris Gentle – The Western Australian Biodiversity Science Institute (WABSI) and Marko Turpeinen – 1001 Lakes Oy, Aalto University. (Submission #214)
12:45
Lunch
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13:45
Parallel Session 3
- Funding AI – PS A.3
- Geopolitics of AI – PS B.3
- DS Special Track Session: Case Studies Across Jurisdictions – PS C.3
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Session A3 (Auditorium) :
Chair:
- “Economic and Policy Determinants of AI Adoption in Developing and Emerging Economies: A Systematic Literature Review Using the TOE Framework” ; Wilson Wong – The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Data Science and Policy Studies; UCL, School of Management and Chyngyz Kumarbek Uulu – The Chinese University of Hong Kong, School of Governance and Policy Science. (Submission #DAP-2026-0235)
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“Critical Infrastructure Alignment to Regional Planning Outcomes: A Governance and Asset Knowledge Graph for Planning-Relevant Evidence in Austria.” ; Lucas Reckhaus – TU Wien Institute of Spatial Planning, Unit- Urban and Regional Research, Franziska Sielker – TU Wien Institute of Spatial Planning, Unit- Urban and Regional Research and Johannes Suitner – TU Wien Institute of Spatial Planning, Unit- Urban and Regional Research. (Submission #146)
- “From Model to Policy: A Communication Tool.” ; Friso Selten – Leiden University and Bram Klievink – Leiden University. (Submission #160)
Session B3: (Room B)
Chair:
- “Bless or Curse? An Empirical Analysis of the Effects of U.S. Export Controls on China’s High-Tech Innovation Through the Lens of Entity-Listed Firms.” ; Siqi Xie – The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Xuan Zeng – The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Masaru Yarime – The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. (Submission #133)
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“A longitudinal study on the Ethical, Legal, and Societal aspects of robotics in EU-funded projects since 2007 from FP7 to Horizon Europe.” ; Chloe Gros – Leiden University, eLaw – Center for Law and Digital Technologies and Eduard Fosch-Villaronga – Leiden University, eLaw – Center for Law and Digital Technologies. (Submission #61)
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“Governance with AI: Reliability Scoring for Decision Support in EU Customs Risk Management.” ; Andrea Cerasa – European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Matteo Zardin – European Commission, Joint Research Centre and Domenico Perrotta – European Commission, Joint Research Centre. (Submission #17)
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“Algorithmic Environmental Stewardship in Africa: A Doctrinal Proposal for Bridging Innovation and Ecological Protection.” ; Angwe Rachel Lekunze – Center for Environmental Justice, University of Pretoria. (Submission #29)
DS Special Track Session C3: Case Studies Across Jurisdictions (Room C)
Chair: Tim Gordon – Co-Founder, The Digital Statecraft Academy
- “Indigenous Sovereignty as Governance Public Infrastructure: A Constitutional Framework for Tribal Digital Governance.” ; Rick Moore J.D. – General Counsel. (Submission #102)
- “Regulatory Reform and a Digital Public Good at the Goa Industrial Development Corporation.” ; Kartik Akileswaran – Growth Teams, Pravimal Abhishek – Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Smriti Iyer – Better Purpose Collective. (Submission #116)
- “Digital Arang: Crafting Subnational AI Authority Through Indigenous Knowledge Governance in Kalinga, Philippines” – Marine Collins Ragnet – New York University, Tala Bautista – Kalinga State University and Katerina Siira – New York University. (Submission #100)
14:45
Coffee Break
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15:15
Parallel Session 4
- Generative and Agentic AI Impact – PS A.4
- Economies of AI – PS B.4
- DS Special Track Session: State & Citizenship – PS C.4
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Session A4 (Auditorium) :
- “Generative AI, Policymaking, and Disability Bias” ; Rachel Elena Tng – Nanyang Technological University, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Kok Khiang Lim – Nanyang Technological University, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Kuansong Victor Zhuang – Nanyang Technological University, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, and Chei Sian Lee – Nanyang Technological University, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. (Submission #DAP-2026-0227)
- “A Governance Gap in Agentic AI: Operationalising Data Protection by Design at the Tool-Dispatch Boundary” ; Mays Al-Naday – University of Essex, Lina Barakat – University of Essex, Sri Teja CHILAKAMARRI – University of Essex, Institute for Analytics and Data Science; Attwells Solicitors, Laura Harrington-Rutterford – Attwells Solicitors, Haralambos Mouratidis – University of Essex, Arpan Abani Sarkar – Independent Researcher. (Submission #DAP-2026-0221)
- “AI Epistemic Governance: A Conceptual Framework for Reliable and Legitimate AI-Augmented Decision-Making.” ; Silvio Menezes – IPAM Lisboa. (Submission #52)
Session B4: (Room B)
- “The Trust Bandwidth Problem: Structural Verification Deficits and the Political Economy of AI Safety in LMICs.” ; Titi Akinsanmi – Independent Researcher and Olamide Makinde – Independent Researcher. (Submission #199)
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“Leveraging Rules as Code for a More Transparent and Efficient Global Economy.” ; Jessica Rapson – University of Oxford.(Submission #41)
- “Transparent policy evaluation through causal machine learning: An application to SME digital subsidies” ; Ana Garcia-Bernabeu – Universitat Politècnica de València, eSMART Research Center, Eugeni Gil-Ocana – Universitat Politècnica de València, eSMART Research Center, and Pablo de Pedraza – Universitat Politècnica de València, eSMART Research Center. (Submission #DAP-2026-0220)
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“Technological Approaches for In-Market Monitoring of AI Systems.” ; Joseph Davis – The University of Sydney. (Submission #24)
DS Special Track Session C4: State & Citizenship (Room C)
Chair: Dr Stefaan Verhulst – The GovLab, New York University and The Data Tank.
- “Civic Interplay: Towards New AI Governance Imaginaries.” – Sarah Barns – RMIT.
(Submission #148) -
“From Data Protection to Data Property: Why Digital Statecraft Must Reconstitute Rights in Subject-Generated Data.” – Irene Ng – Dataswyft and Susan Wakenshaw – University of Warwick. (Submission #56)
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“Cognitive Democracy as Digital Statecraft: Designing Public Decision Systems for the Algorithmic Age.” – Mohammed Alotaibi – UNU-CRIS. (Submission #27)
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“The State as Coordinator: AI Governance Between Competitiveness, Security, and Public Interest.” ; David Uriel Socol de la Osa – Hitotsubashi University. (Submission #155)
17:00
Social Programme 1
Visit to Ca L’Alier
Ca l’Alier is a former mid-19th-century textile factory transformed into an urban innovation platform in Barcelona. It exemplifies the repurposing of industrial heritage for new uses and international public-private collaboration. Ca l’Alier is also a benchmark for sustainable industrial architecture. We invite you to visit this vibrant new center for multicultural technological innovation and discover firsthand the three institutions that use the space:
The Barcelona Institute of Technology Habitat Foundation (BIT Habitat), whose objective is to promote urban innovation and smart technology in various fields with an ethical, sustainable, and responsible use of data and technology.
The Giga Technology Centre in Barcelona. Giga is an ITU and UNICEF initiative to connect all schools worldwide to the internet. The Giga Technology Centre in Barcelona is the research and development hub for cutting-edge, open-source technology products and services to help governments plan, deploy, and maintain school connectivity.
Registration for the event closes a week before the conference under the requirement of Ca L’Alier. Register for the Site Visit
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18:00
Social Programme 2
Visit to Barcelona Supercomputing Centre
Barcelona Supercomputing Center–Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) is Spain’s national supercomputing centre and a leading European institution in high-performance computing (HPC). Home to MareNostrum, one of Europe’s most powerful supercomputers, the BSC advances cutting-edge research and innovation across science, engineering, and technology. Since its founding in 2005, the centre has played a key role in promoting HPC as a driver of scientific excellence and international competitiveness in Spain and Europe. The visit will include a small explanation of BSC activities as well a visit to the Marenostrum Supercomputing installations.
Two different groups will be organized for organizational purposes. Registration for the event closes a week before the conference under the requirement of BSC.
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19:30