On 30th April 2021, from 10:00 to 13:00, an online workshop on "Disruptive Technologies in the Public Sector: how to manage ethical risks and social impacts?" will take place, organised by the ETAPAS project consortium coordinated by the Directorate for Information Systems and Innovation.

The workshop consists of three sessions and aims at providing a space for European policy makers, researchers, partners of the ETAPAS project and other European projects addressing related issues to share know-how and stimulate discussion on the challenges, opportunities and pitfalls of the responsible implementation of Disruptive Technologies (DTs) in the public sector. A Code of Conduct for the ethical adoption of disruptive technologies in public administrations will also be presented during the workshop.

The ETAPAS project, funded by the European Commission through the Horizon 2020 programme, started on 25th November 2020 with the aim of providing a framework consisting of ethical principles and a set of measurable indicators for the responsible adoption of Disruptive Technologies, focusing on those technologies that present critical aspects in terms of ethical impact, such as Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and Robotics.

The working group, coordinated by the Directorate for Information Systems and Innovation, consists of 14 partner organisations including Public Administrations, Digital Innovation Hubs, IT SMEs, Universities and Research Organisations, as well as industrial actors, representing 8 European countries (Italy, Denmark, Norway, Greece, Belgium, Sweden, France, Austria).

The participation in the ETAPAS project, after the positive experiences gained with the previous European projects, Sunfish and PoSeID-on, and with the Call4Innovation, confirms that the Public Administration can be a key actor for the introduction and dissemination of new technologies within society, both at national and European level. Further information and details on the project are available on the ETAPAS portal.