Call for Proposals is now open!

MyData is your movement. We’re inviting the global community to co-create the conference programme through workshops, talks, networking events, and social programme.

All the important details are collected on this page, but if you still have questions, we're happy to help! Just contact us.

Have ideas to share? We want to hear your voice! The first wave of submissions is due 12:00 (noon AoE) on 14 May!

Submit proposal

Conference theme

Example topics

Power: Power asymmetries and imbalances define people's lives and societies' wellbeing. MyData is for people's empowerment with data, and the fair and equitable use of power in our digital societies.
  • Examinations that advance our understanding of power dynamics among people, communities, organisations, and institutions.
  • Empowerment technologies to enable individuals and communities to benefit from their data as, for example, patients, parents, residents, or other.
  • Business practices responsibly leveraging data portability rights of data subjects and consumers.
  • Examples of open standards development and interoperability as tools of empowerment and fair data value generation.
  • Think global, act local: smart cities and regions implementing MyData principles in practice.
  • Legal and technical tools for better individual agency through consent and other permissions.

Artificial intelligence: AI is a defining feature of today's world. Never has privacy been so important, nor has the potential been so great to benefit and create value from truly personal AI. MyData is for MyAI, too.
  • Business and technical approaches to offering truly personal – not just "personalised" – AI for individuals.
  • Privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) for trustworthy and ethical AI development using personal data.
  • Legal and technical approaches to copyright and intellectual property protection in the age of AI.
  • Alternatives to current practices of sourcing data for AI development: EU data spaces and other approaches.
  • Understandings of what "human-centric" means in the age of increasingly powerful AI.

Democracy: The future of democracies hinges on the information environment of citizens. MyData is for countering mis-/disinformation by improving digital literacy and inclusion for all.
  • Digital identity solutions for personal, public, and private needs.
  • Examples of successful awareness-raising of the importance of our data and what it can be used for.
  • Technical and legal solutions to issues of content moderation and identification of mis- and disinformation on online platforms.
  • Approaches to increasing the wellbeing of children and youth online.
  • Solutions for the business viability of federated approaches to content sharing and social media.
  • Design approaches for accessibility and inclusion in the digital.

Climate action: Our climate is in crisis, and people want to act. MyData is for powerful green tech that not only mitigates current environmental harms but also actively boosts planetary biodiversity and vitality.
  • Green ICT solutions and implementations.
  • Ways to create understanding of real impacts of existing technologies on the environment.
  • Solutions to support individual decision-making on consumption choices.
  • Innovations to mitigate natural disasters and other harms to impacted communities.
  • Approaches to personal data use for climate action.

Geopolitics: In our unstable times, data and technology are today's battlegrounds of geopolitics. MyData is for effective security and defence, as well as peace and trade globally.
  • Cyber resilience strategies for individuals and societies in the age of hybrid warfare.
  • Personal data and human-centric technologies for peace and war.
  • Discussions of what promoting or defending human-centric values means in a fragmented and polarised global society.
  • Understanding arguments for and against data localisation and the meanings of geographical data sovereignty.
  • Understanding the policy implications of the entanglements of corporations and government in major global powers such as the US and China.

Global economy: Economies globally are increasingly dependent on data. MyData is for reclaiming the economic benefits for competitiveness from data from the handful of corporations that currently dominate the market.
  • Regulatory and litigation strategies to prevent and correct harmful market behaviour and anti-competitive practices locally and globally.
  • Infrastructures for sovereign data sharing and re-use at scale to counter harmful data hoarding.
  • Examples of development of data skills and competences in the workforce.
  • Approaches to responsible and empowering personal data monetisation.
  • Solutions to tackling the abuses of the AdTech industry for fairer advertisement practices.
  • Approaches to implementing networks of operators and intermediaries as means to break down centralisation of platform power.

The Call for Proposals will be inviting submissions in three waves:

  • The deadline for the first wave of submissions is 14 May (12 noon AoE). Up to 40% of the available time will be allocated by the successful submissions in this first wave.
  • The deadline for the second wave of submissions will be in early July. After the second wave, up to 75% of the available time will be allocated to successful submissions.
  • The deadline for the third and final wave of submissions will be in early September. After the close of the third wave, we will allocate all remaining time and will not be able to consider later proposals. 

We invite proposals for content that proposes solutions and constructive approaches to the big themes of the conference: MyData and power relationships, artificial intelligence, the future of democracies, the climate crisis, geopolitics, and the global economy. Your solution or approach can tackle a very specific and well-defined problem, or embrace the entire complexity of one or more of these themes, or something in between. The important part is that your goal is to solve, to clarify, and to make progress on something that matters for people and has the potential to help them flourish, and you're finding ways to work with data to do it.

We are looking for content that builds bridges between perspectives: our audience is a diverse mix of business, legal, technology, and societal backgrounds and expertise.

We are industry and domain agnostic, and welcome contributions from all sectors of society, be it private, public, research, civil society, or media.

We will be inviting proposals for different types of programme:

  1. Presentation (20 min + 5 min Q&A)
  2. Interactive breakout session (60 min)
  3. Long interactive breakout session (1h 30 min)
  4. Hands-on workshop (1h 30 min)
  5. Extended hands-on workshop (2h 30 min)
  6. Networking event or social programme (any length)

Each proposals should be made for one of these session types.

We recommend against submitting multiple proposals and rather suggest focusing on preparing one, exceptionally strong proposal.

Yes, you are absolutely encouraged to do so!

Yes, you and anyone else involved in your proposal and attending the conference will need to buy a ticket. Presenters, hosts, and session organisers with successful proposals are all eligible for the lowest rate available for the conference, 149 EUR (+VAT) for the entire conference. This minimal charge allows us to cover basic catering and venue costs, as well as to keep other ticket prices as affordable as possible for other attendees.

Definitely! We'd love to hear your voices, so don't hesitate to apply.

We don't offer funding, but speakers of selected proposals will enjoy subsidised tickets. You can email us at team at themydatacompany dot com for more potential sources of funding that could be helpful.

We can also help confirm the invitation to speak at MyData 2025 to assist you with visa application. However, we cannot apply for a visa on your behalf.

Submit proposal