The “Advances in Anti-Corruption: Current Trends and Future Prospects” conference, held on December 9th (International Anti-Corruption Day), brought together researchers, professionals, and specialists from across Europe, all united by a shared commitment to addressing corruption more effectively.

The three panels highlighted innovative projects such as BridgeGap, which is creating a unified approach to improving integrity in political decision-making and KleptoTrace, which is developing cutting-edge tools to track kleptocracy and sanctions evasion. We also learned from the European Quality of Government Index, which provided invaluable insights into how citizens perceive governance and corruption across the EU. Meanwhile, the FALCON project demonstrated the role of artificial intelligence in improving investigations and policymaking, with a strong emphasis on ethical practices.

The BIT-ACT project, led by Alice Mattoni from UNIBO, examines bottom-up approaches to addressing political corruption through digital technologies and media. It challenges the notion of anti-corruption tools as simple solutions, emphasizing their complexity and potential to empower communities and support grassroots accountability efforts. While BIT-ACT has highlighted key challenges and opportunities for civic activism, important questions remain:

• How can anti-corruption technologies and democratic practices restore trust in democracy?
• How will these technologies evolve with the rise of AI, including generative AI?
• What happens when they are integrated into institutional frameworks?

These thought-provoking questions set the stage for our third panel, which focuses on the RESPOND project.

RESPOND represents the culmination of years of research and collective action and brings together diverse perspectives and expertise to develop tools and insights that are not only academically rigorous but also practically impactful for activists, policymakers, and citizens. Our initiative underscores the importance of co-creation, bridging the gap between research and grassroots action to foster trust and build a more resilient democratic framework.

Marking International Anti-Corruption Day, this event reinforced a crucial message: addressing corruption requires collective efforts, shared knowledge, and collaborative action toward common goals.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated and made this event a success!