Data Week 2026: Call for workshops and contributions!

Members of BDVA, its Task Forces, data and AI projects, and wider collaboration partners are invited to submit proposals for workshops and contributions to Data Week 2026, our 2-day physical event taking place in Oslo, Norway between 5-6 May. The event will be organised by the Big Data Value Association in collaboration with the following BDVA members: IFE (Institute for Energy technology), NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), SINTEF and Western Norway Research Institute. The event will provide a high-profile platform for regional, European and international stakeholders to showcase achievements, exchange expertise and engage with the wider data and AI community.

Proposed workshops are expected to run for 60 or 90 minutes, although longer formats may be considered. The number of workshops selected will depend on the volume and quality of submissions. Where multiple proposals address closely related topics, the Data Week Programme Committee may recommend the consolidation of sessions.

Across all themes, workshops should contribute to strengthening Europe’s competitiveness and strategic autonomy in data and AI, while responding to the needs of both industry and the public sector. Proposals may be sector-specific or cross-sectoral and should clearly outline pathways to impact, deployment and adoption across European value chains. Particular emphasis is placed on the involvement of SMEs and start-ups, their contribution to innovation and market uptake, and on industrial perspectives that connect research and experimentation with real-world implementation. Where relevant, workshops are also encouraged to address international cooperation, promoting interoperability, standards alignment and global collaboration in data and AI.

Part of the programme is being constructed based on an open call for workshops or contributions, targeting the BDVA community but open to all organisations interested in engaging with the BDVA activities. BDVA members, BDVA Task Forces, Data and AI Projects, and other collaboration partners are invited to submit proposals. We invite workshop proposals within the broad scope of BDVA activities, with a special emphasis on topics that advance our Strategic Agenda, strategic priorities, BDVA Task Forces, objectives, and collaborative initiatives. In particular, we welcome contributions that align with the goals and themes of the AI Continent Action Plan and the Data Union Strategy, as well as those that build on and extend the insights in our latest BDVA position papers. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Data for AI ecosystems, frameworks, tools and access (Data4AI)
• DataLabs
• Compliance and reporting
• European data spaces and interoperable data infrastructures
• Integrated AI lifecycle and infrastructure
• Industrial AI
• AI models and model ecosystems (including foundation models, domain-specific and industry-tailored models, multimodal models, and model adaptation and reuse)
• Trustworthy, responsible, and human-centric AI
• AI in Science
• Privacy-enhancing technologies, synthetic data, and secure data processing
• Evolution of data analytics (including e.g. advanced and augmented analytics, real-time and streaming analytics, analytics for AI systems, data-centric AI, …)
• Next-generation AI and Big Data architectures, including agentic AI systems, distributed and federated AI, edge–cloud–HPC continuums, and emerging scalable and energy-efficient Big Data and AI architectures
• Quantum technologies, data and AI
• Emergent topics on data and AI
• Experimentation environments
• Skills, education, and talent development
• Privacy-enhancing technologies, synthetic data, and secure data processing
• Policy and standards implementation for AI and data
• Business models, value creation, and market uptake
• Digital Twins
• Virtual Worlds

How to apply 

Fill out this online form !

Timeline  

• Call for workshops: 19 January – 9 February (12 PM CET – midday; CLOSED REGISTRATION) 
• Communication of results (tentative): 2 March
• All workshops are expected to be confirmed, fully described and online by 16 March

Criteria for selection 

Data Week 2026 Programme Committee will select the sessions to be added as a part of the event programme. For optimising the chances of getting selected, make sure your application ticks these boxes: 

• Synergies and collaboration (sessions building synergies with other communities, bringing together several projects and/or BDVA Task Forces, etc.) 
• Relevance/added value of the session/workshop (why is your session relevant for the topic) 
• Audience engagement during the workshop  
• Contribution to BDVA Strategic objectives and BDVA Task Forces

More information

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at dataweek@bdva.eu 

We are looking forward to your proposals.