The speaker at the FOSDEM conference discussed a research project called Ricardo in the Digital Mentis, which is a collaboration between a historian named Beatrice and data engineer named Paul. The project involves building a database of trade flows between geopolitical entities in the 19th century. To foster collaboration, they use data control systems, including documentation, version control, and quality control. They also developed a web application to help Beatrice integrate new data into the database using a data package validation system. The application allows her to correct errors and make decisions about how to interpret the data before it is published. The goal of the project is to analyze trade in the long run and provide interactive data visualizations to researchers.