Title Promoter Affiliations Abstract "Autonomous government. Towards a general legal framework for the creation and regulation of autonomous public bodies." "Ingrid Opdebeek" "Government and Law" "In Belgium, as well as abroad and within the E.U., important governmental tasks are more and more entrusted to autonomous public bodies, being entities in either a public or a (semi-)private legal form, with or without legal personality, that function at a certain distance from the core administration. In consequence of this evolution towards more autonomous government, fundamental questions arise as to the legal possibilities and limits of autonomous government and the democratic status of these entities. Recently, framework regulation has been developed in this context in several legal systems, but due to the frequent departures of this framework and the limited amount of issues which are arranged in it, the questions and problems remain. The research project aims at the development of a general legal framework on autonomous government. Which rules and principles of public law govern the creation and functioning of autonomous public bodies or should govern these? Are the traditional rules and principles of public law applicable to these autonomous bodies? Suchlike legal framework is necessary for the legislator who wants to create framework regulation, for the government that wishes to create autonomous bodies, for the autonomous public bodies themselves and for the supervising organs. It can also serve as an interpretative frame by which the various legal questions that arise today can be solved." "When, why and how do bureaucrats and politicians respond to reputational threats? Comparing Central Government Organizations in Denmark and Belgium/Flanders'." "Koen Verhoest" "Politics & Public Governance, Public Administration & Management" "Whereas the creation and institutionalization of semi-autonomous agencies with increasing degrees of organizational autonomy has been a global trend for more than two decades, an partially opposite international trend of increased saliency of these agencies resulting in de-agencification, agency mergers, and reducing agency autonomy becomes recently observable. In this joint four-year research project by prof. dr. Heidi Houlberg Salomonsen (Denmark), prof.dr. Koen Verhoest and dr. Jan Boon (both UAntwerpen), financed by the Danish Agency for Science, Research and Innovation, we connect these observations with theoretical insights of bureaucratic theory, as elaborated by Daniel Carpenter, George Krause and Moshe Maor. In order to test and further develop central claims made in bureaucratic reputation theory, this project consists of two distinct yet integrated parts. First a medium-N study, including the quantitative analysis of hypotheses on whether threats to different aspects of an agency's reputation affect the various types of communication responses from different types of agencies with different kinds of tasks. In this part we test acclaimed theoretical insights which were derived from regulatory agencies in US and Israeli context by studying agencies with different kinds of tasks in different politico-administrative settings. Second a multiple-case study, using process-tracing methods to identify whether an accumulation of reputational threats to agencies results in political decisions at the detriment of agencies." "The Creation of Autonomous Public Bodies from a European Comparative Legal Perspective: International Impulse, National Restraint and how to reconcile these trends." "Ingrid Opdebeek" "Government and Law" "The law on the creation of autonomous public bodies in the administrative organization of European states is currently characterized by two trends. On the one hand, international or supranational law obliges or encourages states to create autonomous public bodies. Various national regulatory authorities which find their legal basis in different directives of the European Union on the liberalization of utilities sectors are the most apparent examples of this trend towards the internationalization of the law on autonomous government. On the other hand, one notices an attempt on the national level to restrain the evolution towards autonomous government. The question arose whether and to what extent autonomous government can be reconciled with fundamental constitutional principles governing administrative organization. Attempting to put a brake on the unlimited rise of autonomous public bodies, states have come up with framework regulation, determining the conditions for their establishment. How do these two trends determine the law on autonomous public bodies? To what extent do these trends conflict and – if need be – (how) can they be reconciled? The research studies these questions from a European comparative perspective." "The creation of autonomous public bodies from a European comparative legal perspective: international impulse, national restraint and how to reconcile these trends." "Ingrid Opdebeek" "Government and Law" "The law on the creation of autonomous public bodies in the administrative organization of European states is currently characterized by two trends. On the one hand, international or supranational law obliges or encourages states to create autonomous public bodies. Various national regulatory authorities which find their legal basis in different directives of the European Union on the liberalization of utilities sectors are the most apparent examples of this trend towards the internationalization of the law on autonomous government. On the other hand, one notices an attempt on the national level to restrain the evolution towards autonomous government. The question arose whether and to what extent autonomous government can be reconciled with fundamental constitutional principles governing administrative organization. Attempting to put a brake on the unlimited rise of autonomous public bodies, states have come up with framework regulation, determining the conditions for their establishment. How do these two trends determine the law on autonomous public bodies? To what extent do these trends conflict and – if need be – (how) can they be reconciled? The research studies these questions from a European comparative perspective." "The creation of autonomous public bodies from a European comparative legal perspective: international impulse, national restraint and how to reconcile these trends." "Ingrid Opdebeek" "Government and Law" "The law on the creation of autonomous public bodies in the administrative organization of European states is currently characterized by two trends. On the one hand, international or supranational law obliges or encourages states to create autonomous public bodies. Various national regulatory authorities which find their legal basis in different directives of the European Union on the liberalization of utilities sectors are the most apparent examples of this trend towards the internationalization of the law on autonomous government. On the other hand, one notices an attempt on the national level to restrain the evolution towards autonomous government. The question arose whether and to what extent autonomous government can be reconciled with fundamental constitutional principles governing administrative organization. Attempting to put a brake on the unlimited rise of autonomous public bodies, states have come up with framework regulation, determining the conditions for their establishment. How do these two trends determine the law on autonomous public bodies? To what extent do these trends conflict and – if need be – (how) can they be reconciled? The research studies these questions from a European comparative perspective." "Gentle wave or tsunami? The impact of unmanned and autonomous shipping on the law of the sea" "Klaas Willaert" "Department of European, Public and International Law" "The idea of autonomous or remotely controlled ships, sailing the oceans without a crew on board, might sound futuristic, but could soon become a reality. By relying more and more on modern technology and artificial intelligence, human errors can be eliminated and the overall performance, efficiency and safety of maritime transport could be boosted dramatically. Evidently, the extent and pace of these developments will hinge on overcoming technological, commercial and social hurdles, but legal challenges also play a prominent role. Although the majority of these legal issues are situated in the fields of maritime law (covering the legal status of ships, competences and responsibility of the master, maritime incidents and liability in this regard) and maritime transport law (governing the transport of persons and goods at sea), unmanned and autonomous shipping will likewise have an impact on the law of the sea, as the relevant rules and provisions of this important branch of public international law which determines the rights and duties of states in marine areas were also designed with conventional ships – controlled by a master and manned by a crew – in mind. The proposed research project aims to analyze the impact of unmanned and autonomous shipping on the law of the sea by mapping the adequacy of the current rules and provisions, evaluating potential adjustments and assessing the manner in which they could be implemented." "AMOROSO2 - autonomous mobile robots in uncertain environments" "Tim Dupont" "ET: Smart ICT - Elektronica-Research, PXL, IT-Research" "Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) are robots that drive around (fully) autonomously to perform one or more complex or relatively simple tasks, either in an indoor environment or an outdoor environment. Think, for example, of last-mile delivery on a large campus, or distributing medication, or food in a care centre. They are the perfect workhorses to provide automation in dynamic environments. Traditionally, AMRs are moving vehicles equipped with wheels. UAVs (better known by the term Drones) and AMRs use underlying the same technologies. As a result, there is a lot of common ground between these domains. In this project, we want to focus on mobile unmanned vehicles. One of the main research areas in this domain is self-localisation in an environment. In this project, we are not just looking at the geometry of an environment. Added value is achieved by working out state-of-the-art object recognition and computer vision. This allows the meaning of the environment to be perceived, making localisation and map construction faster and more robust. In addition, interaction with the environment and integration with existing systems is a second pillar of this project." "Adaptive Human Operator Interaction with Autonomous Systems (AHOI)." "Dirk Van Rooy" "Antwerp Maritime Academy, IMEC, Product development" "In autonomous systems, human interaction is key. While machines handle uncertain scenarios, they often lack in ethical considerations. AI systems, being ""black boxes,"" make decisions that are not transparent. This lack of transparency can challenge human operators, especially in risky situations, leading to monitoring difficulties and ethical issues. Human biases can also impact this interaction, resulting in overconfidence or dismissal of AI recommendations, thus breaking down trust in the system. Addressing this, the Adaptive Human Operator Interaction with Autonomous Systems (AHOI) consortium aims to understand how explainability and trust in AI shape each other. This team of diverse researchers focuses on trust in the context of maritime autonomous navigation. The research includes: 1. Developing a robust autonomous navigation system for dynamic maritime environments, using advanced machine learning for unknown settings. 2. Studying how explainable AI (XAI) affects operators' trust and decision-making, enhancing understanding of AI decisions for operators with varying expertise. 3. Investigating the interplay between human biases and transparency in human-machine interaction, identifying optimal collaboration points. 4. Designing an advanced human-machine interface (HMI) that offers insights into AI decision processes, tailored to user experience levels. 5. Using XAI and visualization software to create a dynamic, interactive HMI that adapts explanations based on user feedback, fostering continuous learning. This comprehensive approach aims for a system that is both robust and transparent, facilitating efficient human-machine collaboration in maritime navigation. Though focused on maritime navigation, the findings have broader applications in defense, like mine hunting, surveillance, UAV, and UGV operations. In AHOI, iMec will research AI and XAI, UA and AMA will study human operator biases, and MAHI will focus on autonomous vessels' situational awareness and HMI design." "Full mission simulation to investigate effects of autonomous shipping on the future role of the Licensed Deck Officer regarding unmanned/manned vessel interaction in open and restricted waters." "Stijn Verwulgen" "Transport and Regional Economics, Antwerp Maritime Academy, Product development" "This research is relevant and timely as it will provide valuable insight of the impact that autonomous shipping will have on the mariner of the future. Drawing on our experiences as sailing Licensed Deck Officers, we desire to ensure that the human element of a ship's operator is embodied in the evolution of the autonomous shipping industry. Insights generated from this research will benefit involved stakeholders to better understand and prepare for changes in the maritime industry, including how this will affect human-machine interaction, their responsibilities, and the future of their training. Furthermore, we will gain insight in the effect of restricted waters and use of autopilot. The following qualitative methods will be used for this research: an in-depth literature review; and interviews of maritime experts, training facility instructors, and IMO employees currently tasked with STCW/COLREGs recommendations regarding autonomous shipping. An FMS simulation will also be conducted, where participants will be monitored and recorded live, controlling an 'own ship' approaching the port of Antwerp. FMS participants will be interviewed and will answer questionnaires. After developing a measurement strategy and data management plan, data such as vessel CPA/TCPA, course/speed changes, and participant reaction time and use of controls will be recorded, integrated, and processed to identify participants' thought process. New risks arising from interaction between manned/unmanned vessels within open and restricted waters will be identified, and strong recommendations to STCW training will be concluded. Results of this project will outline new tasks and responsibilities for shipboard and shoreside vessel crews of the future, and will provide insight and potential new risks regarding manned/unmanned vessel interaction. Furthermore, this research project completes one PhD and significantly contributes to a second PhD at the University of Antwerp and Antwerp Maritime Academy. A unique training course addressing the Licensed Deck Officer and autonomous shipping will be developed as one of the main deliverables, as well as the publication of three A1 publications. This research project will have significant contributions to maritime training facilities, to the development of the future OOW within the shipping industry, and to port authorities as our findings can impact the direct operation and training of operators of autonomous ships in the future." "SAFETEE - Towards a computing platform for safe autonomous systems" "Tom Holvoet" "Waves: Core Research and Engineering (WaveCore), Distributed and Secure Software (DistriNet)" "Autonomous systems (cars, drones, off-road vehicles, etc.) can bring tremendous advancement for people and businesses. A crucial concern for such systems is safety. While most studies today focus on reliable sensors and perception, and actuators and control, this project aims for a vertical, in-depth study of a full-stack computing platform. Starting from a systematic approach for requirements gathering for the computing platform, the project will study (1) approaches for enhanced reliable hardware under harsh environment conditions, (2) error recovery algorithms e.g. in case of bit flips, (3) a safe and secure reactive software execution platform with formally verified scheduling mechanisms and latency guarantees, and (4) on top an innovative decision making approach for autonomous systems (the ‘brain’) that verifiably guarantees safe decision making. This unique combination of interacting aspects of a safety-aware platform is highly innovative and appealing to both research and industry."