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Call for Papers

The Future Finance Law Hub is organizing the First International Future Finance & Law Symposium—a gathering designed to spark multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder dialogue at the intersection of finance and law. The symposium will feature contributions from leading academics and professionals, encouraging collaboration and exchange of ideas across fields to address the evolving challenges and opportunities in global finance and legal systems.

Call for Abstracts

English abstracts of no more than 200 words may be submitted to futurefinancelawhub@gmail.com by May 9th. These may encompass the following topics: Fintech, Artificial Intelligence, Data, Blockchain, Crypto-assets, Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, or legal aspects of the previously mentioned topics.

Deadlines

Conference

The conference will take place on June 6th at the TUM Think Tank and online. This open-to-the-public event offers a platform for forward-thinking discussions that aim to shape the future of financial and legal innovation. All updates can be tracked via the Future Finance Law Hub's LinkedIn page.

 

The incubation of the Future Finance Law Hub is supported through the Friedrich Schiedel Fellowship hosted at the TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology and the TUM Think Tank.

Project description

Over the past decade, the European Commission has launched several digital policy initiatives, namely the Digital Agenda (2010) under President Barroso, the Digital Single Market Strategy (2015) under President Juncker, and Europe’s Digital Decade Program (2021) under President von der Leyen. While each of those initiatives was based on accurate findings and presented good strategies to do both, tackling certain digital risks and accelerating the digital transformation, the final outcome was in all three cases rather underwhelming. The 2024 Competitiveness Report, written by the former ECB President Mario Draghi, listed the EU’s underperforming digital economy as one of the main threats for maintaining our living standards and safeguarding our democratic systems.

The project aims, firstly, to critically scrutinize and evaluate the three digital policy initiatives of the Commission, determining their effectiveness, achievements, and areas needing improvement. By analysing their policy objectives against actual outcomes, it will also be able to identify structural challenges within the EU Institutions, allowing it to work on general reform proposals. In a second part, the project will apply its findings specifically to the field of privacy. It will evaluate the GDPR’s impact on data protection, business compliance, and digital innovation. Informed by the three-layered GDPR revision proposal brought up by MEP Axel Voss and privacy advocate Max Schrems in early March 2025, it will attempt to develop a concrete legislative proposal that aims to better balance robust EU data protection with practical compliance measures for businesses of all sizes.

Project Goals

Approach

Part 1: Evaluating a Decade of EU Digital Strategies

Part 2: GDPR Evaluation and Reform Proposal

Deliverables

Part 1: Evaluating a Decade of EU Digital Strategies

Part 2: GDPR Evaluation and Reform Proposal

About Kai Zenner

Kai Zenner is Head of Office and Digital Policy Adviser for MEP Axel Voss (EPP) in the European Parliament, specializing in AI policy, privacy, and the EU's digital transition. Before, he worked as Research Associate at the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation. His extensive experience also includes roles as Member of the OECD.AI Network of Experts, the AI Governance Alliance at the World Economic Forum, and before the United Nations' temporary Expert Group supporting the High-Level Advisory Body on AI.

He holds degrees in political science from the University of Bremen (B.A.) and the University of Edinburgh (M.Sc.) as well as a State Exam in law from the University of Münster. Recognized for his influence on digital policy, Zenner was awarded Best MEP Assistant (2023), ranked #13 in Politico’s Power 40 (2023), received the European AI Award (2024), and was highlighted by Euronews as one of '14 movers and shakers' in Tech policy to watch in 2025.

 

The Fellowship of Practice is carried out in a personal capacity.

Fellowship of Practice in Collaboration with our Labs

At the TUM Think Tank, Kai Zenner will collaborate with the Law & Tech Lab led by Boris Paal, the Ethical Data Initiative led by Sabina Leonelli, the GovTech Initiative led by Markus Siewert and Urs Gasser, and the Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers (NoC) led by Armando Guio Español.

Apply here

Are you passionate about storytelling through visuals and text? Do you enjoy creating high-quality social media content, filming and editing videos, and capturing compelling moments through photography? If so, we have the perfect opportunity for you!

The TUM Think Tank at the Hochschule für Politik München is looking for a Student Assistant (m/f/d) Content Creation to support our projects and labs with engaging content for social media, our website, and other communication channels.

What You Will Be Doing:

What We Are Looking For:

What We Offer:

Apply by March 15, 2025! Send your application (cover letter, CV, references, two work samples in video, photo, text, or social media content, earliest start date, and desired weekly hours) with the subject "Student Assistant Content Creation" to rahel.roloff@hfp.tum.de.

We encourage applications from all backgrounds, especially from women and candidates with disabilities.

As the International Year of Quantum Technologies is coming up, we are launching the first international cohort of the YQSS! During the next year, we want to build a community of young people, interested in changing their future and the future of Quantum Technologies for the better.

What do you get?

Sounds exciting? Sign up and join us here.

 

Join us at the International Quantum Forum 2025! We are looking for artists to explore quantum's playful side through thought-provoking performances, bold art, interactive installations and captivating poetry slams, that bring science to life.

When: 30-31 January
Where: TUM Think Tank, Alte Utting, SMÄK, Gasteig HP8
Formats: Visual Arts, Performance Art, Music
Deadline for Contributions: 15 January
Sign up here!

 

Call for Scientific Posters

Join us at the International Quantum Forum 2025! We are looking for researchers interested in the topics of Quantum Mechanics as a Tool for Radical Artistic Expression, Quantum as a Driver of Innovation and Economic Transformation, and Quantum Technology in Medicine, AI, and Cybersecurity.

When: 30 - 31 JAN
Where: TUM THINK tank - Alte Utting - SMÄK - Gasteig HP8
Format: A0 (841 x 1189 mm or 33.1 x 46.8 inches)
Submission Deadline: 15 January 2025
Guideline: Quantum Technologies applications in medicine, mobility, cybersecurity or banking, or other applications also relating societal or public policy topics.

Sign up here!

Call for Science Slammers

Join our Science Slam Co-Hosted by the Quantum Social Lab and PushQuantum with the support of our Location Partner Alte Utting! You are the greatest in explaining Quantum Technologies? You just wrote a great thesis and want to share your results in a new way? You have an opinion on Quantum Tech which needs to be heard? Then we need you! 

When: 30 Jan, 7:30 - 8:00 PM
Where: Alte Utting
Submission Deadline: 15 January 2025

Sign up here!

Project Description

Challenge: Societal Resilience and Strategic Autonomy

Geopolitical tensions are at an all-time high, as highlighted by the Berlin 2024 Security Conference, which warned of escalating threats to NATO on Europe's eastern flank. Ensuring peace through deterrence is not limited to conventional military capabilities; it requires robust defenses against hybrid warfare, including attacks on critical infrastructure, social media, and political stability. Building resilience at all levels of society, especially in the digital realm, is essential, including cloud computing, the “operating system” of modern societies.

While European public sector organizations and their partners have made progress in securing sovereign cloud infrastructures - "Sovereignty of the Cloud" - simply having European-based, legally compliant offerings is no longer enough. Enterprises must operationalize sovereignty in the cloud and maintain true autonomy and security when using complex, multi-cloud environments. This requires translating theoretical constructs into practical frameworks, tools, and policies that enable public administrations to not only choose sovereign infrastructures, but to act sovereignly within them - managing applications, data, devices, and users in ways that enhance resilience, deter potential aggressors, and uphold democratic values.

Making Digital Sovereignty in the Cloud Actionable

As a Fellow of Practice at the TUM Think Tank, Philipp sees a unique opportunity to bring together multidisciplinary expertise to shape a research agenda that makes digital sovereignty in the cloud actionable. By doing so, we can help build societal resilience and strategic autonomy in the face of emerging cyber threats and strengthen Europe's digital backbone as a deterrent and peacekeeper.

Project Goals

Approach

  1. From Abstract to Operational: Develop and refine a conceptual framework that moves beyond theory toward implementable “Sovereignty in the Cloud” practices, outlining clear, actionable principles for public institutions.
  2. Policy-Tech Integration: Align legal, regulatory, and strategic considerations with technical and organizational capabilities, producing guidance that enables European administrations to maintain security, compliance, and autonomy in multi-cloud environments.
  3. Practical Tools and Capacity Building: Deliver a playbook, teaching cases, and workshop formats that empower decision-makers and practitioners to navigate complexity effectively, enhancing deterrence and resilience through concrete measures.

Deliverables

  1. Theory-to-Practice Paper: Draft a concise white paper defining sovereignty-in-the-cloud in tangible terms. Anchor the concepts in existing EU regulations, Governmental policy and cloud providers capacity to provide a coherent framework linking policy to technical responsibilities.
  2. Proof-of-Concept (PoC): Partner with a sovereign cloud provider and a public-sector body to test the framework.
  3. Knowledge Transfer and Community Building: Utilize the Digital Sovereignty Talks platform and host curated roundtables at the TUM Think Tank. Gather input from policymakers, cloud providers, cybersecurity experts, and academic researchers to refine and stress-test the framework.
  4. Educational Integration and Tools: Develop a teaching case—building on the style of my “OpenAI Board Drama” case, to illustrate real-world sovereignty-in-the-cloud dilemmas. Produce a playbook offering step-by-step guidance, enabling organizations to implement robust multi-cloud strategies that enhance resilience and serve as a digital deterrent.
  5. Sovereignty-in-the-Cloud Playbook: A comprehensive, action-oriented guide that helps European administrations operationalize digital sovereignty within multi-cloud environments.

About Philipp Müller

Philipp is dedicated to advancing the resilient digital transformation of governments, multilateral institutions, and global society. He is Vice President for the Public Sector at DriveLock SE, a Fellow at the TUM Think Tank, and a BKC Circle member at the Harvard Berkman Klein Center. With senior leadership roles at Amazon Web Services, Gartner, and DXC, Philipp brings extensive experience at the intersection of technology and policy. He has taught and conducted research at Tecnológico de Monterrey, the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, and the Harvard Kennedy School. An accomplished author, he has published books and articles on digital transformation. Philipp holds a PhD from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.

The Fellowship of Practice is carried out in a personal capacity.

Project Description

At the Summit of the Future in New York in September 2024, the international community successfully adopted the Global Digital Compact (GDC) as a first global framework for an open, free, secure and inclusive digital future for all. Similarly, the Secretary General's High-Level Advisory Body on AI (HLAB AI) recently released its recommendations for advancing global AI Governance, highlighting the need for strengthening scientific collaboration and increasing international efforts towards AI and data capacity building.

Moving from negotiations to implementation, now is a pivotal moment in time to advance science-driven, multi-stakeholder action to enable human-centric and inclusive public-purpose technology, and its democratic and human rights-based global governance. To this end, we invite global partners to collaborate as ‘solutions architects’ in a research-to-action community on various high-priority topics of the GDC. The initiative will start with an initial focus on advancing open public interest AI for sustainable and inclusive societies.

Project Goals

1. Advancing Interoperable Global AI Governance:

2. Enabling Technology Solutions for Accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals

3. Empowering Communities

The project goal is to help implement governance and ethics principles by integrating the whole AI life cycle, anchored in concrete use cases. The initiative supports context-sensitive approaches and solutions, reflecting cultural and language diversity, through a holistic ecosystem approach.

The project kickstarts at the Annual Meeting of the Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers (NoC) in Bangkok – on 17. and 18. October 2024. It will proceed with ideation workshops and learning calls with distinguished experts to identify and co-design first high-impact use cases and develop the project methodology.

About Nicole Manger


Nicole brings a wealth of policy and research expertise at the intersection of Foreign Policy, Law, Technology, and Sustainable Development. She joined the Federal Foreign Office (FFO) of Germany in 2020 in its data and AI driven crisis early warning unit PREVIEW. While at PREVIEW, Nicole led efforts towards advancing global partnerships and programs for putting data-driven, evidence-based decision-making to work for sustaining peace, climate action, and the SDGs. Today, she spearheads efforts in FFO's Coordination Unit for AI in Foreign Policy for Global AI Governance and Digital Cooperation, such as the German engagement for a Global Digital Compact.

In her work at FFO, Nicole launched and led global digital transformation campaigns with the UN, such as the now 30+ Mio. UN Complex Risk Analytics Fund CRAF’d enabling high quality, open-source data and analytics for targeted crisis prevention. She also enabled political agenda setting with the Ministerial Conference “Sustaining Peace Amidst the Climate Crisis: The Role of Data, Science, and Technology”, and advances efforts for a global GovTechecosystem . In her role as Co-Chair of the Task Force on AI and Human Rights in the Freedom Online Coalition, Nicole also focuses on the human rights implications of emerging technologies.

Before joining the Federal Foreign Office, Nicole worked in various functions in diplomacy, security and foreign policy and sustainable development with the US State Department at the US Consulate General in Munich and the Munich Security Conference, as well as with the German Agency for Development Cooperation. She also conducted research at the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Texas at Austin and Göttingen University.

Trained in international relations and law, Nicole’s regional experience spans across North America, Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia. Her previous academic research at the intersection of constitutional law and politics focused on the civil and human rights implications of governmental counter-terrorism efforts and its judicial review mechanisms, global migration and the role of mega-cities, as well as law and politics in multi-cultural jurisdictions.

The Fellowship of Practice is carried out in a personal capacity.

Fellowship of Practice in Collaboration with our Labs

At the TUM Think Tank, Nicole Manger will collaborate with the Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers (NoC) led by Armando Guio Español, the GovTech Initiative led by Markus Siewert and Urs Gasser, the Ethical Data Initiative led by Sabina Leonelli, as well as the Urban Digitainability Lab led by Stefan Wurster and Markus Siewert.

In 2024 alone, over 70 countries are holding national elections, making it a pivotal year for democracies around the globe. With the rise of generative AI, there's a pressing need to understand its impact on the integrity and fairness of electoral processes. For instance, research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has shown that misinformation campaigns powered by AI can spread up to six times faster than factual news. Also, a recent study done by the AI Democracy Projects - a collaboration between Proof News and the Science, Technology, and Social Values Lab at the Institute for Advanced Study led by Alondra Nelson shows that a majority of AI models’ responses to questions voters might ask were inaccurate, incomplete or even harmful. The implications for voter behavior and election outcomes are profound, necessitating thorough investigation.

 

Project Goals

  1. Mapping the Field: Analyzing the global electoral landscape from the past year, the role of generative AI from the electoral campaigns to the elections, as well as the frameworks in place to mitigate the risks.
  2. Learning from Elections around the globe:Drawing insights from elections worldwide in 2024 to understand how GenAI can influence – negatively or positively – electoral processes.
  3. Countering Mis/Disinformation: Identifying strategies to mitigate the risks of misinformation and disinformation in the electoral context, with a focus on the upcoming German election in 2025.

 

About Amélie Hennemann-Heldt

Dr. Amélie Hennemann-Heldt brings a wealth of expertise from her distinguished career in digital policy and media research. She joined the German Federal Chancellery in 2022 and serves as the deputy head of division ‘General Digital Policy Issues’.

Prior to this, she worked as a researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI) and was associated with the Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society. She was also a lecturer in fundamental and human rights at the Berlin School of Economics and Law and at the University of Jena. Amélie completed fellowships with the Information Society Project at Yale Law School, the Center for Cyber, Law & Policy at Haifa University, and the Weizenbaum-Institute.

In her research, she focused on platform regulation, social media governance, the impact of new technologies on the digital public sphere, and the exercise of fundamental rights in the context of algorithmic decision-making and autonomous systems. She co-founded the HBI Digital Disinformation Hub and co-edited a volume on the constitutionalization of social media. In her doctoral dissertation, she examined the horizontal effect of freedom of expression on social media platforms. 

 

Fellowship of Practice in Collaboration with our Labs

As Fellow of Practice, Amélie will collaborate with the Civic Machines Lab led by Orestis Papkyriakopoulos, the Content Moderation Lab led by Yannis Theocharis, and various members of the GenAI Task Force, to delve into the impacts of GenAI on elections.

At the Summit of the Future, UN member states will adopt the Global Digital Compact, a comprehensive framework that will set the course for digital governance based on shared principles and global priorities. Here’s how we contribute to a bright digital future for all.

In an increasingly digital world, the divides in access, safety, and innovation are becoming more pronounced across countries and communities. At this summit, representatives from 193 UN member states will work together to shape a future where digital technologies are harnessed to drive sustainable development and bridge global divides. The Global Digital Compact aims to address critical issues such as connectivity, digital literacy, data governance, and trust. It also seeks to protect freedom of speech and promote a trustworthy internet by introducing accountability measures for discrimination and misleading content. The Compact is not just a framework; it's a vision for a digital future that is open, free, secure, and human-centered—a future that contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by ensuring that no one is left behind in the digital age.

“We can't build a future for our grandchildren with a system built for our grandparents.”
Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General

Keep an eye out on our social media channels and this page to learn more about the Global Digital Compact and our related projects.

Coming Up

Summit of the Future Action Days Side Event: Sept 21, 17:15-18:30 CET

"The Power of the Commons: Digital Public Goods for a More Secure, Inclusive, and Resilient World"

Ahead of the 2024 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), world, industry, and civil society leaders will convene at the United Nations for the Summit of the Future. There, they will vote on the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact, guiding documents that offer an important opportunity to shape our digital world. Two Action Days will precede the Summit of the Future, offering an opportunity for multi-stakeholder discussion on the future of global digital governance.

We invite you to join the livestream for "The Power of the Commons: Digital Public Goods for a More Secure, Inclusive, and Resilient World" — a side event during the Summit of the Future Action Days at the United Nations. Hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia, this event explores the transformative potential of Digital Public Goods (DPGs) such as Wikipedia and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPIs) in fostering sustainable development worldwide.
This event is co-sponsored by the UN Member State Delegations of Germany, Mexico, and Poland, and the UN Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology, as well as the organizations Access Now, Network of Centers, Wikimedia Deutschland, Wikimedia Czech Republic, Wikimedia Polska, Wikimedia Europe, and us here at the TUM Think Tank.

This event will delve into the critical role DPGs and DPIs play in:

Event discussions will explore:

Find more information on the event here.

Livestream

 

Our Role in Shaping the Digital Future

At the forefront of this global effort, the Munich School of Politics and Public Policy (HfP) and the TUM Think Tank are driving innovative projects that contribute to the pillars of digital spaces, digital governance, and digital sustainability.

“The GDC should focus on accelerating progress toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals by addressing the following areas: 1) ensuring the equitable distribution of digital benefits across all nations, not just those in the Global North, 2) promoting digital accessibility and diversity, while enhancing interoperability between digital systems, 3) ensuring the responsible, secure, and transparent use of emerging technologies, such as AI, with human oversight throughout and 4) holding major digital  platforms and tech companies  accountable. The GDC should act as a driving force, leveraging digital technology to reduce global inequalities.”

Virgilio Almeida, Berkman Klein Center, Harvard University

Digital Spaces

Digital spaces are the new public spheres where people connect, share, and interact. To ensure these spaces are safe, inclusive, and respectful, the Global Digital Compact emphasizes the need for inclusive governance and the protection of human rights online, by establishing clear guidelines, enhancing digital literacy, and ensuring accountability for harmful behaviors. Here are some of the examples that our work focuses on:

Content Moderation Lab (Yannis Theocharis)

The Content Moderation Lab researches how users interact within digital spaces and their attitudes towards content they encounter online. Through unique data science research, the Content Moderation Lab will provide actionable policy advice about content moderation to lawmakers and companies. By focusing on user attitudes and experiences, and including civil society organizations in research and dialogues, their work gives policymakers a more comprehensive understanding of which problems must be solved, and how to do so. Read more.

REMODE (Christian Djeffal)

As part of the former Reboot Social Media Lab, the project REMODE developed a method to involve users in the design of social media platforms as well as a toolbox to enhance and expand citizen engagement in content moderation mechanisms. Their method is inspired by both participatory technology assessments and participatory design approaches. Read more.

GovTech Initiative (Urs Gasser, Markus Siewert)

This work contributes to creating safer and more inclusive digital spaces by fostering cooperation between public administration and the tech industry. Through its research and collaboration efforts, the initiative promotes digital literacy and responsible governance in the public sector, ensuring that digital spaces within government services are accessible, transparent, and accountable. Read more.

Immersive Realities Group (Auxane Boch, Urs Gasser, Daniel Saad, Sofie Schönborn)

This group is creating a hub of researchers from various disciplines including political science, law, computer science, economics, and design. Along with collaborators from the Munich ecosystem and their international network, they form an innovation-friendly partnership, critically exploring the potential of immersive technologies. The project, as one example, prototypes an interactional agent for education in VR - with a simultaneous research project on learning in VR, ethical validation and governance. Read more.

Transformation Finance Lab (Florian Egli)

The Transformation Finance Lab co-designs, improves and evaluates policies to mobilize investment for a sustainable transformation of infrastructure, companies and economies. To the extent that digital spaces require capital from different sources with a common public purpose, the Lab’s work will help identifying, interacting with and mobilizing a variety of sources of capital. Read more.

Civic Machines Lab (Orestis Papakyriakopoulos)

The lab's goal is to address algorithmic unfairness both in foundational machine learning research and when algorithms are implemented in society, cultivating a world where emerging technologies act as agents for creating fairer and more sustainable societies. Read more.

Urban Digitainability Lab (Stefan Wurster, Markus Siewert)

The Urban Digitainability Lab (UDL) accelerates cities' green and digital twin transitions by fostering collaboration between municipalities, researchers, and urban stakeholders. The Lab supports digital spaces that facilitate knowledge-sharing, capacity-building, and innovation diffusion, fostering inter-city and intra-city ecosystem development. Read more.

More projects at the Munich School for Politics and Public Policy HfP.

 

Digital Governance

Digital governance ensures that online interactions are fair, transparent, and accountable. To achieve this, the Global Digital Compact underscores the importance of establishing robust frameworks, enhancing regulatory oversight, and fostering global cooperation for effective digital management. Our initiatives include:

GenAI TF (Urs Gasser, Enkelejda Kasneci)

The Gen AI Task Force supports decision-makers in the public sector when evaluating the need, ethical foundation, and design of guidelines in the field of generative AI, for instance in the form of recommendations, best practices as well as policies, including future regulatory approaches. One example is the recently published policy brief "Regulatory Sandboxes as Governance Mechanisms for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)" that was co-authored by Noha Lea Halim from Generative AI Taskforce, alongside international experts Armando Guio (Network of Centers) and Christian Perrone (ITS Rio). This brief explores AI governance within global digital governance, emphasizing the role of regulatory sandboxes in driving sustainable innovation and cross-border collaboration. Read more.

The Ethical Data Initiative (Sabina Leonelli)

The Ethical Data Initiativeaims to provide critical guidance and coordination for global efforts towards data governance, including responsible and ethical practices mindful of the social and scientific implications of data sharing. The Initiative builds on long-standing expertise in this domain as well as extensive and expanding collaborations with numerous actors in this space, including both local institutions and national/international networks. Read more.

GovTech Initiative (Urs Gasser, Markus Siewert)

The GovTech Initiative plays a critical role in advancing digital governance by providing evidence-based research that informs policy and regulatory frameworks. The initiative supports the development of transparent, fair, and accountable digital processes within public administration, enhancing global cooperation for effective digital governance. Read more.

Content Moderation Lab (Yannis Theocharis)

The Lab's user-centric insights aim to advance digital governance by strengthening informed decision-making for regulators and technology companies alike. By providing critical information to help policymakers design, implement, and enforce content moderation policies, the Lab supports policies that are responsive to public concerns and solutions that reflect public preferences. Read more.

Transformation Finance Lab (Florian Egli)

The Transformation Finance Lab co-designs, improves and evaluates policies to mobilize investment for a sustainable transformation of infrastructure, companies and economies. To the extent that digital governance requires capital from different sources with a common public purpose, the Lab’s work will help identifying, interacting with and mobilizing a variety of sources of capital. Read more.

Urban Digitainability Lab (Stefan Wurster, Markus Siewert)

The UDL strengthens digital governance by equipping city administrations with the strategies, tools, and expertise needed to manage twin transitions effectively. The Lab bridges the gap between policy and practice, ensuring cities can future-proof their urban infrastructures while adapting to evolving citizen needs. Read more.

More projects at the Munich School for Politics and Public Policy HfP.

Quantum Social Lab (Urs Gasser, Fabienne Marco)

The Quantum Social Lab pioneers digital governance by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration to address the ethical, legal, and societal challenges of emerging quantum technologies, ensuring responsible innovation and societal benefit. Read more.

 

Digital Sustainability

Digital sustainability is about creating technology and practices that support long-term ecological and social well-being. The Global Digital Compact advocates for integrating sustainable practices into digital development, and our projects are aligned with this vision:

Ethical Data Initiative (Sabina Leonelli)

Fostering the sustainability of data infrastructures and prospective uses, as well as those of metadata and derivative data, is at the core of the EDI mission. This is achieved through education and training initiatives, in the form of online resources, seminars and workshops, as well as research on how sustainability can be achieved and implemented within specific contexts and domains, and policy work towards promoting adequate decision-making and investments. Read more.

GovTech Initiative (Urs Gasser, Markus Siewert)

The GovTech Initiative integrates sustainable practices into public administration by encouraging the adoption of digital technologies that improve efficiency while reducing environmental impact. We advocate for long-term ecological and social well-being through responsible innovation and the sustainable development of digital tools and processes in government. Read more.

GenAI Taskforce (Urs Gasser, Enkelejda Kasneci)

The GenAI Taskforce is working towards closing digital divides and accelerating progress across the SDGs, as its members advise governments in Thailand and Colombia. Further members work on the topic of youth and digital citizenship to understand skills needed for a digital world. One example of their work is the recently published policy brief "Regulatory Sandboxes as Governance Mechanisms for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)". Here you can read how sandboxes can serve as a tool for advancing AI innovation toward achieving sustainability-related SDGs. This brief emphasized their role in testing green technologies and reducing CO2 emissions. Read more.

Immersive Realities Group (Auxane Boch, Urs Gasser, Daniel Saad, Sofie Schönborn)

This group is creating a hub of researchers from various disciplines including political science, law, computer science, economics, and design. Their upcoming hackathonshowcases an impressive international network of collaborators, with a wide range of stakeholders participating as mentors, judges, and challengers. In addition, it is a hands-on environment where technologies and practices are created that support long-term environmental and social well-being, as these aspirations are directly incorporated into the challenges formulated. Read more.

Transformation Finance Lab (Florian Egli)

The Transformation Finance Lab co-designs, improves and evaluates policies to mobilize investment for a sustainable transformation of infrastructure, companies and economies.When digital technologies and practices provide a tangible positive sustainability effect, the Transformation Finance Lab can help mobilizing capital to achieve these ends. Read more.

Urban Digitainability Lab (Stefan Wurster, Markus Siewert)

The UDL drives digital sustainability by aligning technological innovation with climate goals. Through the twin transition, cities leverage digital technologies to decarbonize urban infrastructure, unlocking opportunities for resilient, equitable, and sustainable urban development. Read more.

Network of Centers

To promote digital public goods and digital public infrastructure, collaboration is essential. We are proud to be part of the Network of Centers (NoC), a global initiative where diverse stakeholders come together to build a more sustainable digital future. Through cross-border cooperation among institutions and universities, we contribute to fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration on the critical challenges posed by new technologies, social change, and related policy and regulatory developments.

As part of this network, we are co-hosting a side event at the United Nations Headquarters: The Power of the Commons: Digital Public Goods for a More Secure, Inclusive, and Resilient World during the Summit of the Future Action Days. Find more information on how to join online here at our event page.

More projects at the Munich School for Politics and Public Policy HfP.

Empowering the Next Generation

At the TUM Think Tank, we recognize the vital role that young people play in shaping our digital future. We actively collaborate with youth and amplify their voices, ensuring that their perspectives are integral to the Global Digital Compact. Through initiatives, workshops, and partnerships, we empower youth to engage in digital governance and innovation, making sure that their ideas and concerns are heard and reflected in global digital policies.

Meet the Fellows

Meet the new Friedrich Schiedel Fellows who work on building new bridges between social sciences, technology, and other disciplines. Their interdisciplinary research projects, under the motto "Human-Centered Innovation for Technology in Society" focus on how technologies can be developed responsibly, human-centered, and democratically, serving the public good.

Auxane Boch: Psychology Impact Assessment for Interactional Systems: Defining the Evaluation Scope (PSAIS)

This research project aims to address the lack of frameworks for systematically assessing the diverse psychological impacts of AI. By adopting a participatory approach and considering cultural values, the project seeks to develop a multi-cultural mapping framework for evaluating the psychological impact of AI systems. The research will involve workshops and consultations with stakeholders from various sectors and regions to define evaluation criteria. The project will contribute to the development of concrete recommendations for action by providing a culturally-informed framework that can guide the responsible development and application of AI technologies. The impact of the project extends to academic disciplines, partner institutions, societal stakeholder groups, and policy actors. It will foster interdisciplinary knowledge exchange, stimulate discussions on standardization, and contribute to the reduction of potential inequities arising from technology adoption. The project aims to be a change agent by actively contributing to the implementation of the recommendations and ensuring user well-being and trust in AI systems.

Efe Bozkir: Echoes of Privacy: Exploring User Privacy Decision-Making Processes towards Large Language Model-based Agents in Immersive Realities

User privacy concerns and preferences have been researched extensively in the context of various technologies, such as smart speakers, IoT devices, and augmented reality glasses, to facilitate better privacy decision-making and human-centered solutions. With the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI), large language models (LLMs) have started being integrated into our daily routines, where models are tuned with vast amounts of data, including sensitive information. The possibility of embedding these models in immersive settings brings a plethora of questions from privacy and usability point of view. In this project, through several user studies, including crowdsourcing ones, we will explore privacy concerns and preferences towards LLM-powered and speech-based chat agents for immersive settings and inference likelihood of alarming user attributes. The findings will help understand the privacy implications of such settings, design informed consent procedures that support users in immersive spaces that include LLMs, and facilitate privacy-aware technical solutions.

Baris C. Cantürk: Future Finance Law Hub (“F2L_Hub”)

The Future Finance Law Hub (“F2L_Hub”) is a project aimed at becoming a policy-maker hub at the intersection of IT law and commercial law, established at TUM, with the primary area of influencing Germany and the European Union in the medium to long term. Central to its modus operandi is the aggregation of prominent stakeholders from academia and industry across multidisciplinary domains, including law, finance, and IT, to generate significant outputs.
As delineated in the foregoing summary, F2L_Hub embodies a mission of considerable magnitude, delineating medium and long-term objectives aimed at institutionalizing a tradition in this field. Thus, this fellowship is poised to function as the catalyzing force behind the establishment of F2L_Hub, leveraging both financial resources and access to an excellent academic environment. Through this esteemed fellowship, a noteworthy organizational milestone will be attained, facilitating the procurement of requisite funding and partnerships vital for the execution of ancillary processes.

Daryna Dementieva: Harmful Speech Proactive Moderation

Offensive speech remains a pervasive issue despite ongoing efforts, as underscored by recent EU regulations aimed at mitigating digital violence. Existing approaches primarily rely on binary solutions, such as outright blocking or banning, yet fail to address the complex nature of hate speech. In this work, we want to advocate for a more comprehensive approach that aims to assess and classify offensive speech within several new categories: (i) hate speech that can be prevented from publishing by recommending a detoxified version; (ii) hate speech that necessitated counter speech initiatives to persuade the speaker; (iii) hate speech that should be indeed blocked or banned, and (iv) instances mandating further human intervention.

 

Mennatullah Hendawy: Setting up the Future with Sustainable Choices: GenAI Support in Resolving Multi- Stakeholder Conflicts in Sustainable Critical Metals & Minerals Development

This project outlines an innovative approach to resolve multi-stakeholder conflicts in the sustainable development of critical metals and minerals essential for decarbonization efforts. Recognizing the complexities and sustainability challenges within the supply chains of these materials, particularly those sourced from the Global South / emerging economies, the project proposes a digital platform leveraging reactive machine AI (RM-AI) and generative AI (Gen-AI) with human-in-the-loop functionalities. This platform is designed to facilitate transparent and inclusive discussions among public/community representatives, government, and industry stakeholders, ensuring a balanced consideration of environmental, economic, and social sustainability targets. Through co-developing a concept for an interactive, game- based decision-making tool powered by Gen-AI, the project aims to identify common interests, model sustainability trade-offs, and find consensus solutions that align with the societal goals of reducing inequality and promoting economic growth with decent work conditions. The project's integration of RM and Gen AI aims to bridge the gap between technical and non-technical decision-makers, enhancing stakeholder engagement and trust in AI-driven processes, thereby aligning closely with the fellowship’s mission of human- centered innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration for the public good.

Franziska M. Poszler: Research-based theater: An innovative method for communicating and co-shaping AI ethics research & development

This project will implement a creative approach to conducting, educating, and communicating AI ethics research through the lens of the arts (i.e., research-based theater). The core idea revolves around conducting qualitative interviews and user studies on the impact of AI systems on human ethical decision-making. It focuses specifically on exploring the potential opportunities and risks of employing these systems as aids for ethical decision-making, along with their broader societal impacts and recommended system requirements. Generated scientific findings will be translated into a theater script and (immersive) performance. This performance seeks to effectively educate civil society on up-to-date research in an engaging manner and facilitate joint discussions (e.g., on necessary and preferred system requirements or restrictions). The insights from these discussions, in turn, are intended to inform the scientific community, thereby facilitating a human-centered development and use of AI systems as moral dialogue partners or advisors. Overall, this project should serve as a proof of concept for innovative teaching, science communication and co-design in AI ethics research, laying the groundwork for similar projects in the future.

More information on the project can be found here:https://www.ieai.sot.tum.de/research/moralplai/

Malte Toetzke: Developing the Google Maps for the Climate Transition

I envision to develop the Google Maps for the climate transition. Business leaders and policy makers need more comprehensive and timely evidence to accelerate industrial development of climate-tech effectively. With recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), it is now possible to develop models that generate such evidence at large scale and in near real-time. In the project, I will analyze the global network of organizations collaborating on climate-tech innovation. The network is based on processing the social media posts of organizations via large language models (LLMs). It includes key public and private actors and spans various types of climate technologies (e.g., solar, hydrogen, electric vehicles) and types of collaborations (R&D collaborations, demonstration projects, equity investments). I will use the fellowship to conduct in-depth analyses generating valuable insights for managers and policy-makers on facilitating innovation clusters. Furthermore, I plan to operationalize the information retrieval and processing enabling analyses in real-time.

Chiara Ullstein: Participatory Auditing (in cooperation with Audit.EU)

The EU AI Act posits that providers (management and developers) of high-risk AI systems have to undergo conformity assessment. The conformity assessment encompasses several measures that are supposed to corroborate that a system is legally compliant, technically robust, and ethically sound, and can be considered ‘trustworthy AI’. The project ‘participatory auditing’ aims to contribute to the project Audit.EU (1) by exploring how companies can leverage their learnings from established compliance practices such as for the GDPR and (2) by proposing participation as an approach to source AI Act compliance-relevant information from suitable stakeholders to increase inclusivity and mitigate risks of discrimination. Participation is considered to enhance the process of achieving compliance through a comprehensive testing and feedback process. Based on learnings from established compliance measures, a framework for performing auditing in a participatory manner and in accordance with the EU AI Act will be developed and evaluated. The primary goal of the framework is to serve developer teams as a guideline.

Niklas Wais: Law & AI: Navigating the Intersection

Most areas of law that should in principle be relevant for AI currently leave many intersectional questions unanswered. The reason for these open questions is that jurisprudence cannot pursue its task of incorporating AI into the existing dogmatics because it lacks sufficient technological understanding. At the same time, developers lack knowledge of the law and therefore only base their design decisions on performance, but not compliance with e.g. data protection or anti-discrimination law. Although students from various professional backgrounds want to learn more about the underlying interface issues, truly interdisciplinary educational material is missing. My project will address this and transform the rare specialist expertise that currently only exists at TUM into a freely available online course. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between law and technology and sharing cutting-edge knowledge as effectively as possible, the project seeks to promote the responsible use of AI for the benefit of society.

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