Auditec[h]tures - Unpacking the European Tech Auditing Ecosystem

01. February 2026

Funded by the Mercator Foundation, *auditec[h]tures* is a joint research project between the European New School of Digital Studies (ENS) and the Faculty of Business Administration & Economics at European University Viadrina, led by Prof. Jana Costas and Prof. Philipp Hacker. The project examines how audit regimes – particularly those concerned with systemic and related risks under the EU AI Act and the Digital Services Act – are currently taking shape, and which opportunities and challenges emerge for the different actors involved.

At its core, *auditec[h]tures* investigates how AI and platform auditing works in practice, where key pain points lie, and how a better European auditing ecosystem could look like. To this end, the project conducts qualitative interviews with key stakeholders, including industry, audit practice, regulatory bodies, and civil society. The results will be discussed with a high-level and interdisciplinary advisory board of academic experts and be published in policy reports.

Link