Empower puts Ireland on track for data governance leadership
Prof Markus Helfert Photo credit: Uta Schubert
From Tik Tok to smart homes, public health systems to international banking, never before has trustworthy data been more important. Now, a landmark programme based at Maynooth University will drive innovation in data protection and governance.
The name of the programme - Empower - speaks to the ambition and potential of data networks to develop and innovate while safeguarding the rights of all users to access trustworthy data.
This is a landmark academic and industry-wide programme representing research of almost €10 million that aims to both ‘future proof’ EU data flows and drive innovations in data protection internationally.
Coordinated by Empower Director, Prof Markus Helfert at Maynooth University, the programme brings together a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from four Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Centres: Lero as the programme lead, Insight, ADAPT and FutureNeuro.
The participating centres share a strong culture of academic-industry collaboration with companies across those sectors experiencing disruptive transitions to data and AI-driven business models, such as software development, health, biotech, fintech, medtech, agritech, smart city, mobility, media and publishing, sports performance, automotive, and construction.
Empower’s academic researchers will work together with companies including Meta, Siemens, Huawei, Trūata, Trilateral Research, Genesys, P4ML, RedZinc Services and Analog Devices to develop innovations in data governance that will have the potential to benefit individuals and companies.
Prof Helfert, who specialises in digital innovation at Maynooth’s School of Business and Innovation Value Institute (IVI), outlines the programme’s focus on developing a data ecosystem that benefits all users while defining and safeguarding the rights of data sharers.
“Data ecosystems, such as smart cities or connected health networks, present new challenges that require a fundamental reconsideration of how we manage and use data. While an effective data ecosystem can empower the exchange of knowledge from organisations and individuals, data movement can also give rise to risks that need to be managed from a socio-ethical perspective,” he explained.
“It is crucial that organisations offer individuals transparency and accountability of their user data to ensure they are empowered by data flows in new systems, such as smart homes and smart cities. Empower will explore how we design and implement intelligent systems that leverage ‘shared’ data within the data ecosystems. Solutions need to respect the rights and freedoms of users while turning personal data into assets for the population and society,” Prof Helfert said.
Data ecosystems, such as smart cities or connected health networks, present new challenges that require a fundamental reconsideration of how we manage and use data
A multi-disciplinary team of co-principle investigators are participating in the project, in conjunction with Prof Helfert. The Maynooth University ‘Spoke’ of the SFI centres includes: Prof Brian Donnellan (School of Business, Innovation Value Institute (IVI)); Dr Adegboyega Ojo (School of Business), Dr Aphra Kerr (Department of Sociology) and Dr Ed Curry (Hamilton Institute).
Speaking at the launch of Empower, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, paid tribute to the work of Prof Brian Donnellan, Vice President, Engagement and Innovation at Maynooth University and Prof Helfert for their key roles in the project.
“I’d particularly like to acknowledge the work done by Professor Brian Donnellan, for bringing all of the partners together and developing the project, and Professor Markus Helfert, also at Maynooth University, who has driven the project forward over the months.
I look forward to hearing more about this project in the coming months as it progresses and goes to the next stage,” Minister Harris said.
“Empower clearly demonstrates that when we combine talent and investment, we here in Ireland can undertake cutting-edge, impactful research. We can compete with the very best internationally and we can contribute solutions to global challenges. Empower is an important strategic research project for our country, and I’d like to congratulate and wish everyone involved the very best for the project.”
Director of Lero, Prof Brian Fitzgerald, the Irish Software Research Centre leading the programme, said: “World-class research is urgently required to ensure that this transformation truly empowers individuals and that organisations can offer individuals transparency and accountability of their ‘shared’ data.”