Other News from Participating Centers

Paris hosts Wikimania 2026 as Wikipedia celebrates 25 years of free knowledge

Paris, France, 22 July 2026 — This week, Paris hosts Wikimania 2026, the twenty-first edition of the flagship annual conference that celebrates Wikipedia, Wikimedia projects, and the global community of volunteers (Wikimedians) who make them possible.

Inspiring conference at IViR about economic aspects of copyright

On 6 and 7 July, IViR hosted the 23rd Annual Conference of the Society for Economic Research on Copyright Issues (SERCI). Academics, practitioners, government representatives and others from all across the world, united by their interest in the various economic aspects of copyright, gathered at the Institute for Information Law for two content-packed days with a keynote address by Imke Reimers (Cornell University), more than twenty other high-quality paper presentations and numerous inspiring conversations.

Bundesforschungsministerin Dorothee Bär zu Gast

Seit dem 6. Mai 2025 ist Dorothee Bär Bundesministerin für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. In dieser Funktion hat sie am 16. Juli 2026 erstmals die Vollversammlung der IHK Würzburg-Schweinfurt besucht und einen Gastvortrag gehalten.
Darin beschäftigte sie sich mit den Chancen, die Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt für die Region Mainfranken bieten. Passend zum Thema fand das Treffen im Missionskontrollzentrum der Universität Würzburg statt, das von Hakan Kayal, Professor für Raumfahrttechnik am Institut für Informatik, geleitet wird.

einBLICK: Nachrichten aus der JMU

Studierende lassen Experi­ment mit Höhen­forschungs­ballon steigen - Preis für Informatikerin Borrmann - JMU für Gleich­stellung ausgezeichnet - Programm für ausländische Gäste - Liturgie der Zukunft

Bayerns digitale Schatzkammer nimmt historische Schulwandbilder aus Würzburg auf

Die Forschungsstelle Historische Bildmedien der Universität Würzburg hat über die Jahre eine beachtliche Sammlung von Schulwandbildern aus Deutschland und anderen europäischen Ländern zusammengetragen. In ihren Räumen auf dem Campus Nord bewahrt sie mehr als 20.000 Stücke aus 150 Jahren Schulgeschichte auf. „Damit besitzen wir die größte Sammlung von Schulwandbildern in Europa“, sagt Dr.

Interview with Shylesh Muralidharan on Data Centers

Watch the full interview on Portulans’ Substack.
Bill Dutton, Co-President of the Portulans Institute, interviewed Mr. Shylesh (Shy) Muralidharan about his development of an AI tool to inform multiple stakeholders about the impact of data center developments.

Why Oman’s new cybercrime law has little to do with cybercrime

Every time a new cybercrime law is introduced somewhere in the SWANA region, it is often explained using the same premise. Governments present these laws as necessary to fight hackers, protect national security, and curb online fraud. But upon a closer look at the law itself, and not the government’s statement around it, you notice that  these laws often reach far beyond hacking, fraud, or other technical offenses.

CHARM-EU: Europäische Kommission gewährt Förderung

Die Europäische Hochschulallianz CHARM-EU (Challenge-Driven, Accessible, Research-Based and Mobile European University), zu der auch die Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) gehört, hat sich im Wettbewerb um eine Förderung im Erasmus+-Programm 2026 durchgesetzt. Die Europäische Kommission stellt der Allianz 7,2 Millionen Euro zur Verfügung, um ihre grenzübergreifende Zusammenarbeit bis 2028 weiter auszubauen.

EAA-AAA Joint Panel: Advertising and Communication as a Contribution to Health and Wellbeing in the Digital Age

Ralf TerlutterWith the participation of Prof. Dr Sandra Diehl, Institute for Media and Communication Studies, and Prof.

The cost of ‘free’: How Wikimedia Enterprise protects Wikipedia in the AI era

The digital commons are under threat: with the advent of generative AI, bots have officially surpassed human traffic on the internet. Last year, the Wikimedia Foundation shared our concerns around drops in human traffic on Wikipedia.

24th International Conference on Research in Advertising (ICORIA) 2026 in Barcelona

Sonja BidmonAs part of the 24th International Conference on Research in Advertising (ICORIA), which took place from 25 to 27 June 2026 at Pompeu Fabra University (Poblenou Campus) in Barcelona, Spain, researchers from all over the world exchanged views on this year’s conference theme, “Communicating Consumer Health and Wellbeing in the Digital Age”. The Research Group Marketing and International Management was also represented with several academic papers.

Inteligencia artificial: ¿están preparadas las organizaciones para su implementación?

En un contexto marcado por la rápida adopción de la inteligencia artificial en organizaciones públicas y privadas, Matías Aránguiz y Sebastián Dueñas analizaron los desafíos jurídicos que plantea su implementación, el nuevo rol que deberán asumir los abogados y cómo el Diplomado en Derecho e Inteligencia Artificial UC busca formar profesionales capaces de enfrentar este escenario.

Für einen fairen Wettbewerb: bidt-Forschungsprojekt zur Regulierung digitaler Märkte

Mit unabhängiger Forschung aus Bayern trägt ein Projekt des bidt dazu bei, die Regulierung von digitalen Märkten und Techgiganten zu verbessern. Ein interdisziplinäres Team arbeitet bereits intensiv an diesem Thema. Ziel des Projekts ist es, die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse in politische und regulatorische Prozesse auf europäischer Ebene einzubringen. Der Wirtschaftsinformatiker Jan Krämer und die Kartellrechtlerin Leonie Ott geben im Interview Einblick in die Grundlagenarbeit.

Update Digital Euro

In the vegetation of the Forest Cemetery in Darmstadt, we are joined for this episode by legal scholar Cederic Meier. For it is here that Georg Friedrich Knapp is buried. In his book “Staatliche Theorie des Geldes” (The State Theory of Money), Knapp put forward what was, in his day, a revolutionary proposal: that the value of money should be sought in the validity of state legislation. One of his core theses was: “Money is a creation of the legal system.” For us, this provides an opportunity to discuss the latest developments regarding the digital euro.

Bridging governance and growth: Datasphere Initiative launches pioneering report on AI sandboxes and the private sector

LISBON, Portugal — July 15, 2026 — On the sidelines of its immersive five-day Sandbox Summer School, a specialized program equipping policy and tech professionals with sandbox design skills, the Datasphere Initiative officially unveiled its latest publication: “AI sandboxes and the private sector: Emerging models and opportunities”. Held at the SANA Metropolitan Hotel, the launch event gathered international practitioners, policymakers, and tech innovators.  

PhD Konferenz: “Dual-Use-Technologies and Artificial Intelligence”, 13.-14.11. 2026 in Rijeka

aau/tinefoto.comDear doctoral researchers,
 We are pleased to invite you to apply for a unique opportunity to actively participate in the International PhD Conference on Dual-Use Technologies and Artificial Intelligence, which will take place from November 13 to 14, 2026 at the University of Rijeka. The event is jointly organised by the University of Rijeka and the University of Klagenfurt.

New report on the militarization of tech in the SWANA: Produced, tested, deployed

Human testing. Those two words evoke mental images of inhumane experiments and feelings of disquiet, as they should. Yet human testing of militarized technology is happening in the Southwest Asia/North Africa (SWANA) region. 

Update to our catalogue of AI public sector use cases – June 2026

The Policy Innovation Lab Catalogue of AI-based tools

A Climate Chatbot for Trusted and Transparent Climate Information

Introducing CABot, a chatbot that makes climate knowledge more accessible to everyone, keeping information clear, factual, and credible.
The post A Climate Chatbot for Trusted and Transparent Climate Information first appeared on Open Knowledge Blog.

Get to know our team: Isabel Ray, Data Science and Policy Innovation Analyst

Continuing our Get to Know the Team series, we would like to introduce Isabel Ray, our Data Science and Policy Innovation Analyst.
Isabel brings a unique background that spans both the arts and sciences. Following an initial career as a professional ballet dancer, she transitioned into applied mathematics and is currently a PhD candidate in the Applied Mathematics department at Stellenbosch University. This rare blend of creative discipline and technical knowledge gives Isabel a unique lens through which she views complex problem-solving.