Members of the RESPOND project participated in the 43rd Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime, held at Jesus College, University of Cambridge (UK), from 23 to 30 August 2026.

During the panel “Geopolitical Strategic Corruption and Illicit Finance: Characteristics and Detection,” RESPOND member Professor Mihály Fazekas, Professor of Public Policy at Central European University and Director of the Government Transparency Institute in Hungary, and RESPOND Advisory Board member Professor Elizabeth David-Barrett, Professor of Governance and Integrity and Director of the Centre for the Study of Corruption at the University of Sussex, delivered keynote addresses.

Fernanda Odilla, Lecturer at the University of Bologna and researcher in the Horizon Europe RESPOND project, contributed to the session “How Does Geopolitics Affect Corruption and Illicit Finance?” with a presentation on grey corruption. Her intervention examined practices that occupy the blurred boundaries between legitimate influence, unethical conduct and prosecutable corruption, highlighting the challenges they pose for detection and accountability.

The participation of RESPOND researchers and advisors brought the project’s expertise on political corruption, illicit influence and institutional responses to one of the leading international forums on economic crime.