Completing the same information over and over again in questionnaires and project applications is a familiar frustration across education and research institutions. With EXPATS (Explainable Autofill for Trustworthy Surveys), PXL University of Applied Sciences and Arts has developed an AI-powered tool that significantly simplifies this process. Thanks to funding from the GÉANT Innovation Programme, the project has evolved from an idea into a fully functional prototype.
Less copy-pasting, more time for what matters
Anyone who has ever completed a project proposal, grant application or administrative questionnaire knows how often the same information has to be searched for, copied and entered repeatedly. That repetitive workload inspired researchers at PXL University of Applied Sciences to develop EXPATS.
"We noticed that people are constantly re-entering information that already exists somewhere else," says Servaas Tilkin, Applied Researcher at PXL University of Applied Sciences. "With EXPATS, we want to make these administrative processes much more efficient."
The tool uses artificial intelligence to retrieve relevant information from sources selected by the user. Based on this information, it suggests answers that can automatically populate fields in questionnaires and application forms.
Users remain fully in control throughout the process. Every suggestion includes a reference to the source it was generated from, allowing users to accept, reject or edit the proposed answer before submitting it.
Privacy by design
Although artificial intelligence is at the heart of EXPATS, privacy has been a core design principle from the very beginning.
Users decide which documents and websites the tool can access, ensuring that only explicitly selected sources are used. In addition, each user works in a secure, isolated session that is automatically deleted after a set period of time.
PXL's research team has also developed a second application that integrates with survey software. This companion tool provides a chat-based workspace where users can upload documents, examples and other supporting material when designing a survey. The underlying language model then assists them in creating a high-quality questionnaire.
Once the survey is complete, users can export it in various formats or generate it directly in supported survey platforms through integrated connectors.
From prototype to pilot
A €50,000 grant from the GÉANT Innovation Programme enabled PXL University of Applied Sciences and Arts to transform the EXPATS concept into a working prototype.
Beyond the financial support, the university also values the guidance provided by GÉANT throughout the project. A dedicated mentor supported the team during development and connected the researchers with relevant experts.
"The feedback we received from GÉANT proved extremely valuable. One example is the addition of a session handover feature, which allows users to transfer an active session to a colleague. This makes it much easier to collaborate on complex questionnaires without compromising privacy."
Servaas Tilkin, Applied Researcher at PXL University of Applied Sciences
A valuable opportunity for the Belnet community
The next phase of the project is an extensive pilot programme. PXL University of Applied Sciences and Arts plans to validate the tool on a larger scale while exploring additional integrations with widely used survey platforms. To support this, the university will conduct a comprehensive market study during the second half of 2026.
Although EXPATS is still under development, it already offers significant potential for organisations within the Belnet community.
"EXPATS will be available free of charge for non-commercial use by European NRENs and their affiliated research and education institutions," says Servaas Tilkin. "This means that other members of the Belnet community will also be able to use the tool under the same conditions."
PXL University of Applied Sciences looks back positively on its participation in the GÉANT Innovation Programme.
"We had been considering this idea for quite some time," says Servaas Tilkin. "What we lacked was the right framework to develop this particular use case. The GÉANT Innovation Programme turned out to be the perfect fit and came at exactly the right moment."
Interested in trying EXPATS in your organisation?