Periodic Reporting for period 2 - LeADS (Legality Attentive Data Scientists)
Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2024-12-31
The LeADS project—Legality Attentive Data Scientists (Grant No. 956562)—was launched to address a major challenge of our digital age: how to combine technological innovation with ethical, legal, and societal values that protect individuals and democratic institutions.
Data scientists are key actors in the modern economy, capable of extracting valuable insights from data. However, their work often lacks consideration of legal and ethical implications. At the same time, legal professionals understand these regulatory and societal dimensions but may lack the technical expertise to apply them to data-intensive technologies. LeADS aimed to bridge this gap by training a new interdisciplinary professional: the Legality Attentive Data Scientist.
Over four years, the project trained 15 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) through a mix of legal and technical education, real-world secondments, and collaborative research.
The project delivered innovative academic research, interdisciplinary training, policy insights, and practical tools. Highlights include the creation of explainable AI frameworks, participatory data governance models, privacy-enhancing technologies, and a novel algorithm for legal analysis.
LeADS also produced training games, public videos, and a final book to share findings with both academic and general audiences. The ESRs’ research directly contributes to shaping EU policy on data, AI, and digital rights.
In conclusion, LeADS has successfully demonstrated how interdisciplinary education and collaboration can build a digital future that is not only innovative but also fair, lawful, and trustworthy.
Data scientists are key actors in the modern economy, capable of extracting valuable insights from data. However, their work often lacks consideration of legal and ethical implications. At the same time, legal professionals understand these regulatory and societal dimensions but may lack the technical expertise to apply them to data-intensive technologies. LeADS aimed to bridge this gap by training a new interdisciplinary professional: the Legality Attentive Data Scientist.
Over four years, the project trained 15 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) through a mix of legal and technical education, real-world secondments, and collaborative research.
The project delivered innovative academic research, interdisciplinary training, policy insights, and practical tools. Highlights include the creation of explainable AI frameworks, participatory data governance models, privacy-enhancing technologies, and a novel algorithm for legal analysis.
LeADS also produced training games, public videos, and a final book to share findings with both academic and general audiences. The ESRs’ research directly contributes to shaping EU policy on data, AI, and digital rights.
In conclusion, LeADS has successfully demonstrated how interdisciplinary education and collaboration can build a digital future that is not only innovative but also fair, lawful, and trustworthy.
From its start in 2021 to its conclusion in 2024, LeADS combined cutting-edge research, interdisciplinary training, and stakeholder engagement. Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the early phases (notably delays in hiring and mobility), the project successfully recruited and trained 15 ESRs from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds.
Training was delivered through five intensive General Training Modules, focusing on:
• Research methodology
• Law and digital technology
• Data analytics and software design
• Innovation and entrepreneurship
• Regulatory and ethical frameworks
These were complemented by two rounds of Technology Innovation in Law Laboratories (TILLs), where ESRs worked in teams on real-world challenges at the intersection of law, data, and AI, often with direct input from industry and public sector Partners.
A fundamental role was played by the Secondment mobility periods that the ESRs spent hosted by the non-academic Partners practicing on real cases, the skills they were trained to apply.
Additionally, horizontal activities such as online courses, public seminars, and innovation challenges helped reinforce the practical relevance of the work.
The ESRs were organized around four thematic “Crossroads” that structured both their research and collaborative efforts:
1. Privacy vs. Intellectual Property
2. Trust in Data Processing and Algorithm Design
3. Data Ownership
4. Empowering Individuals in the Digital Economy
Each Crossroad brought together legal and technical perspectives to address foundational questions in data governance.
The Crossroads were more than abstract topics—they became spaces of intense collaboration and innovation. Researchers worked across institutions and disciplines to co-develop papers, participate in labs, and build tools that respond to real-world challenges.
Key scientific and practical outputs of the project include:
• An interdisciplinary research framework, culminating in several Deliverables that bridge language and methodologies between law and data science and inform future interdisciplinary education.
• Innovative academic publications, including fifteen individual ESR research reports and six collaborative Working Papers and Scientific papers, many of which are being submitted to important peer-reviewed journals.
• Applied tools and policy contributions, such as a novel algorithm for legal and policy analysis using AI and data mining on traffic accidents;
• A final LeADS Book, 14 lay-language articles was published in a special issue of the A-ranking journal Opinio Juris in Comparatione, ensuring accessibility and transparency of the research findings
• Engagement tools, including four discussion board games designed to raise public awareness on data ethics and digital rights.
• Policy input on the AI Act, Data Act, and Data Governance Act, producing recommendations on fairness, transparency, and user empowerment.
LeADS adopted a proactive dissemination strategy targeting both academic and non-academic audiences:
• Scientific dissemination included journal articles, conference presentations, working papers, and collaboration with related EU projects.
• Public engagement featured videos, media and blog content, and participation in outreach events such as the Pisa Internet Festival with the organization of a valued Innovation Challenge
• Open educational resources were developed and shared freely to encourage their reuse.
• Policy exploitation was realized through interaction with regulators.
LeADS not only achieved its training and research goals but also created a sustainable model for interdisciplinary collaboration in the digital age. Its legacy includes a new professional profile, an innovative training method and a set of accessible tools and insights for a legally and ethically sound data economy.
Training was delivered through five intensive General Training Modules, focusing on:
• Research methodology
• Law and digital technology
• Data analytics and software design
• Innovation and entrepreneurship
• Regulatory and ethical frameworks
These were complemented by two rounds of Technology Innovation in Law Laboratories (TILLs), where ESRs worked in teams on real-world challenges at the intersection of law, data, and AI, often with direct input from industry and public sector Partners.
A fundamental role was played by the Secondment mobility periods that the ESRs spent hosted by the non-academic Partners practicing on real cases, the skills they were trained to apply.
Additionally, horizontal activities such as online courses, public seminars, and innovation challenges helped reinforce the practical relevance of the work.
The ESRs were organized around four thematic “Crossroads” that structured both their research and collaborative efforts:
1. Privacy vs. Intellectual Property
2. Trust in Data Processing and Algorithm Design
3. Data Ownership
4. Empowering Individuals in the Digital Economy
Each Crossroad brought together legal and technical perspectives to address foundational questions in data governance.
The Crossroads were more than abstract topics—they became spaces of intense collaboration and innovation. Researchers worked across institutions and disciplines to co-develop papers, participate in labs, and build tools that respond to real-world challenges.
Key scientific and practical outputs of the project include:
• An interdisciplinary research framework, culminating in several Deliverables that bridge language and methodologies between law and data science and inform future interdisciplinary education.
• Innovative academic publications, including fifteen individual ESR research reports and six collaborative Working Papers and Scientific papers, many of which are being submitted to important peer-reviewed journals.
• Applied tools and policy contributions, such as a novel algorithm for legal and policy analysis using AI and data mining on traffic accidents;
• A final LeADS Book, 14 lay-language articles was published in a special issue of the A-ranking journal Opinio Juris in Comparatione, ensuring accessibility and transparency of the research findings
• Engagement tools, including four discussion board games designed to raise public awareness on data ethics and digital rights.
• Policy input on the AI Act, Data Act, and Data Governance Act, producing recommendations on fairness, transparency, and user empowerment.
LeADS adopted a proactive dissemination strategy targeting both academic and non-academic audiences:
• Scientific dissemination included journal articles, conference presentations, working papers, and collaboration with related EU projects.
• Public engagement featured videos, media and blog content, and participation in outreach events such as the Pisa Internet Festival with the organization of a valued Innovation Challenge
• Open educational resources were developed and shared freely to encourage their reuse.
• Policy exploitation was realized through interaction with regulators.
LeADS not only achieved its training and research goals but also created a sustainable model for interdisciplinary collaboration in the digital age. Its legacy includes a new professional profile, an innovative training method and a set of accessible tools and insights for a legally and ethically sound data economy.
The LeADS project significantly advanced the state of the art by pioneering an interdisciplinary approach that bridges data science with legal and ethical analysis. At a time when regulation often lags behind innovation, LeADS created a framework where law and technology evolve in dialogue, not conflict.
By training 15 ESRs to become “legality attentive” professionals, the project moved beyond conventional education models. It integrated cutting-edge research with real-world application through collaborative labs, secondments, policy work, and public engagement tools. The development of a shared conceptual language between data scientists and legal scholars is a lasting innovation, embodied in resources like the Encyclopedia of Law and Data Science and cross-disciplinary working papers.
Until the project’s conclusion, LeADS delivered impactful tools, including:
• Scientific Publications and Reports in open access
• A data mining algorithm for legal and policy analysis
• Public-friendly, printable discussion board games
• A final book, videos, blog posts and social media content to make research accessible
• Policy input supporting the EU’s AI Act and Data Governance Act
The socio-economic impact includes the growth of a new generation of professionals who will potentially lead digital transformation in compliance with EU values—enhancing trust, legal certainty, and innovation in the data economy. Wider societal implications include better-informed citizens, user-empowering technologies, and increased accountability in automated systems.
LeADS has not only committed to filling a critical knowledge gap but also to contributing to a more inclusive, transparent, and rights-respecting digital future.
By training 15 ESRs to become “legality attentive” professionals, the project moved beyond conventional education models. It integrated cutting-edge research with real-world application through collaborative labs, secondments, policy work, and public engagement tools. The development of a shared conceptual language between data scientists and legal scholars is a lasting innovation, embodied in resources like the Encyclopedia of Law and Data Science and cross-disciplinary working papers.
Until the project’s conclusion, LeADS delivered impactful tools, including:
• Scientific Publications and Reports in open access
• A data mining algorithm for legal and policy analysis
• Public-friendly, printable discussion board games
• A final book, videos, blog posts and social media content to make research accessible
• Policy input supporting the EU’s AI Act and Data Governance Act
The socio-economic impact includes the growth of a new generation of professionals who will potentially lead digital transformation in compliance with EU values—enhancing trust, legal certainty, and innovation in the data economy. Wider societal implications include better-informed citizens, user-empowering technologies, and increased accountability in automated systems.
LeADS has not only committed to filling a critical knowledge gap but also to contributing to a more inclusive, transparent, and rights-respecting digital future.