Data for Policy 2026 (DfP’26) 

Governance of/with AI: Implications for Data, Infrastructure, and Tech Sovereignty
Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain | 8 – 10 September 2026

We are thrilled to announce the 10th Data for Policy Conference will be hosted by Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain, from 8–10 September 2026.

The tenth edition of the conference will focus on the reshaping effects of AI in governance and decision making.  This year has witnessed a significant paradigm shift, sparking increased interest in and concern regarding AI governance. The development of AI and data infrastructure has become essential amid the ‘AI War’ between the United States and China, the hybrid conflicts in Europe, and the deployment of military technologies in the Middle East. Strategic investments now prioritize access to frontier technologies, the securing of critical minerals, energy production, and key locations for water supply and cooling. AI is challenging not only global economies but also political systems. We have entered an era where AI influences geopolitics, often at the expense of fundamental rights and values.

The theme “Governance of/with AI” addresses the diverse global perspectives on this evolving technology. As AI continues to transform, it presents both unprecedented opportunities and complex challenges; furthermore, emerging developments such as quantum computing heighten existing uncertainties. 

This theme calls for a responsible and ethical societal response while fostering debate across multiple disciplines. We invite reflections and evidence-based research that explore and contest these views. Ranging from geopolitical promises to large-scale investments, social consequences, and legal frameworks, AI has become a truly transdisciplinary field. We welcome contributions from engineering, the humanities, and the social sciences that offer transformative perspectives on our collective future.

Submissions are organised into six broad, interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral areas of interest, which form the standard tracks of the conference. (see linked page for full description) In addition, the conference offers a special track convened by The Digital Statecraft Academy (DSA)  that complements the broader conference theme, providing a dedicated space to explore the intersection of technology, institutions, and human agency in the algorithmic age.

  • Area 1: Digital & Data-driven Transformations in Governance
  • Area 2: Technologies & Analytics
  • Area 3: Policy & Literacy for Data
  • Area 4: Ethics, Equity, and Trustworthiness
  • Area 5: Algorithmic Governance
  • Area 6: Global Challenges and Dynamic Threats
  • Special Track: Digital Statecraft: From Principles to Practice

Thank you very much for your interest in Data for Policy 2026. Submissions for abstracts, panels and full papers are now closed. Registration is currently open. We warmly invite you to stay connected for future updates regarding the conference programme.

We are pleased to announce a conference–journal integrated review process with Data & Policy, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal published by Cambridge University Press. Full papers submitted to the conference will be reviewed simultaneously for both venues, while authors presenting extended abstracts at the conference are also invited to submit full papers to Data & Policy. Read more about the integrated peer review process on this page.

Local chairs Manuel Portela, Carlos (Chato) Castillo , Vladimir Estivill-Castro, Migle Laukyte and Antoni Rubi-Puig from Universitat Pompeu Fabra are delighted to work with conference general chairs Zeynep Engin (Data for Policy CIC), Jon Crowcroft (University of Cambridge and The Alan Turing Institute), and Stefaan Verhulst (New York University). Full details of conference committee members can be found on this page.

We eagerly anticipate receiving your exciting and innovative submissions that will enrich Data for Policy 2026 and contribute to shaping the future of AI-enabled governance. Join us at UPF Barcelona in 2026!

For inquiries or further information about local arrangements and registrations, please contact dfp26@upf.edu.  

For submissions, please contact team@dataforpolicy.org 

Keynote Speakers

Alberto Gago Fernández – 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.

Stefano Iacus – Scientific Project Officer, European Commission — Joint Research Centre

Stefano Iacus is a statistician and Scientific Project Officer at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, where he works on algorithmic transparency. Since 2019 he has led a JRC team exploring new sources of data and their advantages over traditional official statistics, to support policymaking during periods of crisis and refine preparedness measures.

He previously served as Senior Research Scientist and Director of Data Science at Harvard University’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science (2022–2025), where he led the development of the Dataverse Project and contributed to the OpenDP project board. He was also a full professor of statistics at the University of Milan, where he founded and directed the Data Science Lab, and has held a recurring visiting professorship at the University of Tokyo since 2006.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he managed a large-scale business-to-government project for the European Commission, drawing on mobile network operator data across most EU member states to produce insights for policymakers. He has published widely across causal inference, sentiment analysis, computational statistics and quantitative finance, and his work is extensively cited.

Panel Speakers

  • Enric Biosca – Chief Data Technology Officer, Barcelona City Council
  • David Cabo – Co-Director / CTO, Civio
  • Maria Eugenia Cardello – Research Engineer, Barcelona Supercomputing Center
  • Luca Cominassi – External Consultant, Barcelona Supercomputing Center
  • Atia Cortes –  Established Researcher, Barcelona Supercomputing Center
  • Stina Heikkila – Project Coordinator – Citizen Science, Eurocities
  • Nil Homedes – Director at Decidim
  • Martin Hullin – Director, Network for Technological Resilience & Sovereignty, Bertelsmann Stiftung
  • Pablo Jimenez Arandia – Investigative reporter and freelance journalist
  • Toni Lorente – Director of European AI Governance, The Future Society
  • Jaume Miralles – Director General for Artificial Intelligence, Efficiency and Data in Public Administration of the Government of Catalonia (DGIA)
  • Paula Rodriguez Müller – Scientific Officer at European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC)
  • Albert Sabater – Director of the Observatory of Ethics in Artificial Intelligence of Catalonia (OEIAC)
  • Sara Thabit – Project Officer at European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC)

DfP’26 Conference Partnership

As we work to build an inclusive global ecosystem that harnesses the power of data science, AI, and emerging technologies for the public good, we welcome collaboration from all stakeholders in the Data for Policy space.

The Data for Policy 2026 (DfP26) offers a variety of partnership opportunities, including main conference sponsorships, individual panel or keynote session sponsorships, and exhibition and demonstration spaces.

By partnering with us, you will have the opportunity to shape the future of data-driven policymaking and contribute to meaningful discussions on the role of AI and technology in the public sector.

For more details and to explore how you can get involved, please visit our partnership page.