Workshop: Digital Identity and Identification in the Era of Web 4.0 and Virtual Worlds
2025-05-21 14:00 - 16:30 (Europe/Brussels) | Online
This workshop will explore future scenarios for online identity and identification in virtual worlds and Web 4.0, focusing on opportunities, risks, and strategies for secure digital identities.

Workshop overview

As part of the European Commission study on virtual worlds and Web 4.0, PPMI (part of Verian Group) and TNO will host an interactive online workshop on the future of digital identity and identification on 21 May 2025 at 14:00 – 16:30h CEST, bringing together policy makers, industry experts, digital innovators, researchers, and other interested stakeholders. The session will explore possible future scenarios for online identity/identification management, examining both the opportunities and risks that lie ahead. Participants will also discuss strategies to ensure robust, secure, and trustworthy digital identities/identification in the context of rapidly evolving online ecosystems.

Please note that the number of participants is limited.

Preliminary agenda

14:00 – 14:05 – Introduction

14:05 – 14:15 – Topic context

Presentation of key trends, opportunities and uncertainties

Why digital identity/identification matters in Web 4.0 and virtual worlds

14:15 – 15:00 – Breakout sessions

Exploration of opportunities and risks in future identity/ identification scenarios

Prioritisation and group insights

15:00 – 15:10 – Coffee break

15:10 – 15:55 – Plenary discussion

Plenary sharing of group findings

Common and cross-cutting challenges, highlighting pressing issues

15:55 – 16:25 – Addressing risks and harnessing opportunities

Brainstorming strategies, possible actions, and collecting ideas

16:25 – 16:30 – Closing

More about the study

The workshop is part of a broader pilot project, ‘A Space for the Metaverse – Virtual World and the Transition to Web 4.0,’ under Action 9 of the European Commission’s strategy on Web 4.0 and virtual worlds. This initiative, carried out by PPMI (part of Verian group) and TNO for DG CNECT, aims to assess key developments in internet technologies and foster a global governance dialogue. The insights gathered from the workshop will directly inform a paper on digital identity/identification in the Web 4.0 era prepared as part of the project.

OW2con'25
2025-06-17 08:00 - 2025-06-18 17:00 | Châtillon, Châtillon, Paris, 92020, France
Experts from around the world talk about professional open source software in modern information systems at Paris-Châtillon.

OW2con is the European open source conference organized by OW2. An international meeting of developpers, IT companies, academics and non-profit organizations, OW2con brings together the entire open source community, during two days of presentations ranging from tech topics to business and ethical issues of open source. It also offers a unique opportunity to establish contact with peers through friendly networking sessions. OW2con is open to all, the event is free and all sessions are held in English.

ENCRYPT Final Event: ENCRYPTing Europe towards Secure and Federated Data Use
2025-06-17 08:00 - 17:00 | Stratos Vassilikos Hotel, Athens, Grece
We are pleased to invite you to the final event of the ENCRYPT project, taking place on Tuesday 17th June 2025, at the Stratos Vassilikos Hotel in Athens, Greece – with the option to participate online.

This full-day event will bring together leading experts, policymakers and innovators to showcase ENCRYPT’s achievements and discuss the future of privacy-preserving technologies and data analytics in Europe.

The agenda features keynote speeches from prominent voices in cybersecurity, including Athena Bourka from the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), technical presentations of the ENCRYPT platform, in-depth exploration of real-world use cases, and a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities of secure data sharing in the age of data spaces. The event will also highlight synergies with related European initiatives and projects such as the EASiNET Network, and the GLACIATION and TANGO projects.

This is a unique opportunity to network with stakeholders across the research, industry and public sectors and to learn of how ENCRYPT is contributing to Europe’s vision for secure, federated and privacy-preserving data utilisation.

Participation is free of charge – we look forward to welcoming you in person or online!

NGI Forum 2025
2025-06-19 08:30 - 2025-06-20 16:30
The Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative continues to evolve, building on past successes while addressing new challenges in Europe’s digital landscape. As emerging technologies reshape the way we interact online, NGI remains committed to ensuring that the Internet of the future is open, inclusive, trustworthy, and sustainable.

To advance this vision, the NGI Forum 2025 will serve as a key platform to bring together innovators, policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders. The Forum will provide an opportunity to reflect on major developments in digital sovereignty, open internet infrastructure, and digital commons, while fostering collaboration between diverse stakeholders shaping Europe’s digital future.

NGI Enrichers final conference
2025-06-24 10:30 - 2025-06-25 15:00 | Davos Congress Center, Talstrasse 49a, Davos, Graubünden, 7270, Switzerland
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance, its influence on the scientific community becomes increasingly profound. This conference will critically explore the transformative and disruptive impact of AI on the scientific enterprise, from reshaping research methodologies to altering the trajectory of how talented scientists and innovators manage their careers. Attendees will engage with experts across disciplines and industries to discuss how AI tools are revolutionizing data analysis, automating routine tasks, and enabling new discoveries. The sessions will focus on the opportunities AI presents for accelerating innovation, as well as the challenges it brings in terms of ethical considerations, skills development, and career evolution.

There will be four parallel sessions:

Technology: The technology behind AI tools and its adoption by scientists and innovators.

Health: Preventing mental and physical disorders of AI users in the scientific enterprise and beyond.

Science and Society: The European dimension, scientific integrity and methodological rigor.

Startups: Secure entrepreneurial freedom, creativity and innovative power in Europe.

Each session will address critical issues and explore future scenarios, by the help of professional moderators and rapporteurs. The discussions will focus on enhancing European competitiveness in the global context.

This event aims to provide scientists, university superiors, research managers, policymakers and young entrepreneurs with insights on how to navigate and thrive in a future where AI is central to the pursuit of knowledge and doing business. Davos sets the stage for political power in technology at the year’s start, while this summer summit emerges as a platform for pragmatic foresight—bridging AI’s present challenges with future-driven innovation on a strategic way.

NGI Innovators Workshop: Open Source yet Market Ready
2025-09-17 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
What does it take for NGI-funded open source projects to become truly  market-ready?

Whether you’re building the next privacy tool, decentralised infrastructure, or secure communication protocol, this hands-on workshop is designed to help you bridge the gap from code to product.

The NGI Innovators Workshop: Open Source yet Market Ready will give you practical tools, real examples, and an opportunity to think strategically about your project’s next steps — all in just one hour.

What You’ll Learn

How successful EU projects transformed open source into sustainable products

How to map your project using a simple user persona and mini-SWOT

How to define an MVP wrap: your problem, your users, your value

How to assess readiness across scalability, uniqueness, and adoption

What you can do next: tools, resources, and support from NGI

Whether your project is fresh out of the gate or maturing rapidly, this session will help you think like a product builder without compromising your open-source values.

7th International Open Search Symposium #ossym25
2025-10-08 08:00 - 2025-10-10 17:00 | Helsinki, Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
Continuing the successful conference series from the past 6 years, the #ossym25 Open Search Symposium brings together the European and international Open Search community for the seventh time. The hybrid conference provides a forum to discuss and further develop the ideas and concepts of open web search and related topics in various formats including scientific talks, panels, workshops, demonstrations, student challenges and informal discussion spaces. Participants include researchers, data centres, libraries, policy makers, legal and ethical experts, and society.

NGI Policy Summit 2025
2025-11-20 00:00 - 23:59
When: 20 November 2025Where: Brussels, Belgium

The NGI Policy Summit will be organised by the NGI Commons consortium. This Summit serves as a pivotal event to map and critically assess the current landscape of European Digital Commons (DC) and Internet Commons (IC). Its core objectives include identifying future development priorities and assessing the broader impact of NGI funding on these commons ecosystems.

SAVE THE DATE & BOOK YOUR CALENDAR!
