STeP Talks 2026

STeP Talks x POWER Edition: Workshop on Future Technological Trends in Clean Energy and Energy Security

The global transition to clean energy is increasingly shaped not only by technological innovation, but also by security considerations, geopolitical dynamics, and the information environment surrounding energy debates. Emerging technologies play a critical role in enhancing energy resilience, yet they are also targets of disinformation and information manipulation. This workshop will present findings from Romania, Malta and Spain on climate-related disinformation and discuss emerging and future clean-energy technologies, interactions between technology, communication, and disinformation, as well as strategies to strengthen public trust and resilience in clean-energy transitions.

This workshop is organised within the framework of the POWER Project (Prevention Of Weaponization and Enhancing Resilience against security-related disinformation on clean energy), an ERASMUS+ funded initiative implemented by:

• Mihai Viteazul National Intelligence Academy, Bucharest, Romania
• University of Malta
• University Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
• Eurocomunicare Association, Bucharest, Romania

This workshop is designed for a diverse audience, including academics, researchers, students with an interest in clean energy, technology, security, and public communication. We would be delighted to welcome you to this timely discussion and to benefit from your expertise and perspectives!

Join us for this special edition of STeP Talks on February 11th from 16.00-17.30 online or on-site in Groningen (Diephuiszaal (ground floor), Röling Building, Oude Boteringestraat 18) by registering here!

Ruxandra Buluc

Ruxandra Buluc is a senior researcher in the National Institute for Intelligence Studies, and a PhD coordinator at the Doctoral School of “Mihai Viteazul” National Intelligence Academy, Romania. Her main research interests are strategic communication, disinformation, foreign information manipulation and interference, and security culture. She works in European-funded projects which are aimed at building security culture and resilience to disinformation and radicalization. 

Irena Chiru

Irena Chiru is a professor of intelligence studies with expertise in intelligence in emergent democracies, intelligence analysis, and strategic and intelligence culture. She currently serves as director for doctoral research at the “Mihai Viteazul” National Intelligence Academy in Romania and as a member of the Advisory Board of the International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE) Europe. Across her professional roles—as professor, researcher, and member of academic advisory boards—she has been a consistent advocate for strengthening the relationship between the intelligence profession, intelligence education, and intelligence research, as well as for promoting a whole-of-society approach against security threats.

Aitana Radu

Dr. Aitana Radu is a Lecturer within the Department of Information Policy & Governance and the Chairperson of the Security and Intelligence Research Cluster (INSIGHTS) at the University of Malta. Her research focuses on different aspects of security science, from disinformation to crime analysis and intelligence oversight. She regularly trains Maltese and international practitioners, including EU LEAs and Interpol on crime-related topics, from OSINT to digital investigations related to cross-border crimes (trafficking, smuggling). Dr. Radu obtained her B.A. in Political Science at the University of Bucharest, an M.A. in Comparative Politics, an M.A. in the Management of Intelligence Activities for National Security from the National Intelligence Academy in Romania with a thesis on the security risks posed by the radical Islamic discourse, and her PhD in Intelligence and National Security from the same Academy with a thesis on the transformation of intelligence organizations.

Ritumbra Manuvie

Dr Ritumbra Manuvie is Assistant Professor at the University College Groningen, where she is the coordinator for the Law and Politics cluster, and teaches courses on international and human rights law. Her research focuses on governance of digital technologies especially given the role social media platforms play in setting critical policy agendas and in democratic processes. She has extensively researched on disinformation and hate speech in context of elections, and other hot-issue public policies.

Blowing the whistle: Is there a “right to warn” about advanced AI risks?

The development of advanced AI models and systems involves high potential impact, complex technical detail, and private-sector progress covered by secrecy and non-disclosure agreements. In certain instances, whistleblowers’ disclosures have led to the timely identification of serious AI safety-related risks and harms. Current and former employees at frontier AI labs have issued public warnings, highlighting the urgent need for robust protections to ensure accountability. In particular, they advocate for a “right to warn” about AI risks without retaliation. This raises the pressing need for, on the one hand, nurturing and exercising professional ethical responsibility and, on the other hand, having a normative framework supporting this responsibility in the name of the public interest.

In this talk, Mando Rachovitsa discusses the following questions/issues:

1. Do AI researchers have an ethical responsibility to warn about AI risks and credibly attest to their employers’ claims about such risks in AI R&D?
2. What is the rationale underpinning the value of whistleblower protection in connection to AI safety? AI safety scholars and practitioners highlight whistleblower protection as a part of advanced AI risk governance and risk management and as a mechanism for AI developers and deployers to verify transparency on AI risks.
3. Do AI companies and research labs (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Microsoft and META) have whistleblowing policies and, if yes, what do these policies provide?
4. Does the EU regulatory framework address whistleblowing concerns in AI R&D?

We will explore the relevance of the following: the EU AI Act and the Code of Practice for General-Purpose AI Models (Safety and Security Chapter), the EU Whistleblowing Directive and the AI Whistleblowing Channel recently launched by the EU AI Office, the recent California Senate Bill No. 53 on Transparency in Frontier AI Act. 

Join us for this STeP Talk on February 13th from 15.00-16.30 online or on-site in Groningen (Bakker-Nortzaal (ground floor), Röling Building, Oude Boteringestraat 18) by registering here!

Mando Rachovitsa

Mando Rachovitsa is an Associate Professor in Human Rights Law at the School of Law, University of Nottingham. She is also the Deputy Director of the Human Rights Law Centre. Her expertise lies in the area of Human Rights and Technology Law. Mando has written on the human rights assessment of the use of new technologies, including encryption, digital ID systems, and how human rights law may inform the design and implementation of Internet standards. Her latest research focuses on the intersection of human rights law and technologies, including advanced AI and AI safety.

Ida Varošanec

Ida Varošanec works as an Assistant Professor of Technology Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Groningen. Her research focuses on AI regulation, IP law, Transparency, Technology law, and Public policy. She will be moderating this STeP Talk.