Phase 1 (M1-M12): Research & Design. Main activities carried out included:
• Collection of background information on the most relevant ethical, social, and legal aspects of DTs for the Public Sector.
• Design of the conceptual components of the RDT Framework, the Code of Conduct (CoC) and the Legal Framework.
• Translation of the conceptual components into real ethical risks, social impacts, and practical indicators.
• Definition of a validation approach for the RDT framework. An empirical approach that, for each use case, allows for the identification of the specific risks and social impact that could arise in using DTs in the defined scenario, and of the consequences of not having a code of ethics for the adoption of such technologies.
Phase 2 (M13-32): Test & Validation. Main activities carried out include:
• Selection, evaluation, and validation of the relevant ethical principles and indicators. The work foresees active engagement with PAs, to ensure that the RDT framework is pertinent to the use case perimeter and context - currently undergoing
• A qualitative assessment to collect and evaluate the qualitative indicators defined in the Research & Design Phase and validated at the previous activity. This activity entails the implementation of the measurement guidelines of the qualitative indicators (mainly related to social impacts). Qualitative assessments of the Disruptive Technology Application (DTA) are being carried out (before the development and adoption) and will continue during the whole DTA development - currently undergoing
• Finalisation and, if needed, refinement / integration of the development of the DTA. All of the pilots are involving the DTA’s stakeholders and users to ensure a human-centric approach and integrate the operationalization of the output of the relevant qualitative assessment results - currently undergoing
• A legal assessment of the use case aiming at leveraging the output of the Research & Design Phase. Preliminary activities have been carried out with the objective of determining what legal restrictions should be respected to ensure legal compliance - currently undergoing
Cross-Phase activities: Technological Platform & Communication, Dissemination & Exploitation. Main activities carried out include:
• Technological Platform: definition and design of the basic requirements for the ETAPAS Prototype, a prototype of a software platform to support the application of the ETAPAS RDT framework for responsible adoption of DTs. PAs member of the consortium have been actively involved in the design of the prototype as stakeholders, partaking in the identification of its core functionalities, while the technical partners of each of the four use cases tailored the needed connectors and data structures
• Communication, dissemination, and exploitation effort: extensive communication, dissemination, and exploitation activities, in order to maximize the impact of the ETAPAS project
Phase 3 (M32-M36): Synthesis & impact pathways. Main activities carried out include:
• Finalisation of the RDT framework reviewing its components. This activity includes refining the RDT framework based on insights from use cases and feedback from European PAs, ensuring its efficacy in mitigating ethical risks
• Identification and description of lessons learnt. This activity entails the analysis of commonalities across use cases to identify and articulate lessons learnt, forming actionable recommendations to support PAs in responsibly adopting DTs
• Derive a governance model of DTs and develop implication assessment measures by integrating insights from the Test & Validate phase, providing PAs with guidelines for ethical, social, and legal assessments, and offering measures for risk mitigation
Cross-Phase activities: Technological Platform & Communication, Dissemination & Exploitation. Main activities carried out include: the finetuning of the ETAPAS Prototype requirements for the technological platform, engaging PAs, technical partners and external users while conducting extensive communication, dissemination, and exploitation efforts to strategically share project outcomes and continuously communicate insights and best practices for the responsible adoption of DTs
