Research Ethics Day 2026 - When Science Goes Public: Ethical challenges in research dissemination

Welcome address 

Silje Skrede, Professor, Vice Dean of Research, Doctoral Education and Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, and Chair of the Programme Committee
and 
Kjell Morten Myhr, Professor, Vice Rector for Research and Innovation, University of Bergen  

Session 1: Freedom of Expression under Pressure 

Research Ethics Considerations in Dissemination in the Era of Language Models

Keynote: Bjørn Morten Hoffmann, Professor, NTNU in Gjøvik/University of Oslo 
Title: When Research is Hyped and Credibility Erodes: Hype, Hope, and Trust

Questions from the audience

Moderator: Jan Reinert Karlsen, Associate professor, Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities, University of Bergen  

Session 2: Speaking Truth Under Fire: The Ethics of Research in a Polarized World

What happens when research meets resistance, and researchers themselves become targets? 

In today’s rapidly changing public sphere, research is increasingly politicized, contested, and sometimes met with hostility. From online harassment and misinformation to shifting boundaries between scholarship and activism, researchers are navigating new ethical dilemmas. 

Do researchers have a democratic obligation to engage with the public? Should they respond to misinformation, or disengage? Where is the line between academic responsibility and activism? How can art help bring attention to a hostile research environment? 

This panel brings together perspectives from science communication, sociology, and critical cultural work to explore the ethical responsibilities of researchers in a time of polarization, pressure and public scrutiny.  

Keynote: Kristoffer Løkken Økland, Associate Professor, University of South-Eastern Norway
Title: To take sides or not to take sides, that isn’t the question: What is controversial research, and how does it impact junior scholars?

Presentation: Gard Andreas Frantzsen
Title: An art project "Det antifascistiske bibliotek" 

A conversation: 

• Gard Andreas Frantzsen, art project "Det antifascistiske bibliotek" 
• Hande Eslen Ziya,  Professor of Sociology, University of Stavanger
• Kristoffer Løkken Økland, Associate Professor, University of South-Eastern Norway

Moderator: Leif Ove Larsen, Professor, Department of Information Studies and Media Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Bergen    

Session 3: Ethics of presenting sensitive collections 

How can sensitive archival, photographic, and museum materials be presented in ways that balance ethical responsibility with broad accessibility?  

Presentations:

1. Eli Kristine Økland Hausken, University Museum of Bergen:  Title: “Bringing Skeletons Out of the Closet: Ethical Dilemmas in Exhibitions with Human Remains” 

2. Morten Heiselberg, The Picture Collection/University of Bergen Library: Title: “Reassessing Indigenous Heritage: Critically Reviewing of our Sámi Collections Online” 

3. Line Førre Grønstad, The Queer Archive/University of Bergen Library:  Title: “Making the Invisible Visible: Ethical Dilemmas in Mediating Queer Archives and Oral Histories “ 

Questions from the audience

Moderator: Gina Dahl, Senior Academic Librarian, University of Bergen Library 

Closing remarks: Silje Skrede, Professor, Vice Dean of Research, Doctoral Education and Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, and Chair of the Programme Committee