In the coming days, the Research Data Alliance will celebrate its tenth anniversary with a hybrid conference. Chalmers, through Chalmers e-commons, and Gothenburg University, through the Swedish National Data Service (SND), have joined forces to offer fantastic content for anyone working to increase the opportunities for data sharing.
In March 2013, 250 international researchers and research data experts gathered in Gothenburg to form the Research Data Alliance (RDA). The alliance has become one of the most important global actors in research data issues, with over 13,000 members in 149 countries. This year, the organization will be back in Gothenburg to celebrate its tenth anniversary, bringing together researchers, decision-makers, and data managers from different disciplines around the world to share new ideas and explore best practices for using and sharing data.
RDA holds major international meetings twice a year in different parts of the world. Active work takes place in various interest and working groups during these meetings, but there are also common elements in the program where a panel of experts discusses current issues in research data. Sverker Holmgren is the director of Chalmers' digital research infrastructure, e-commons:
"We try to be at the forefront in this field and being involved in organising this conference helps us continue to do so - in an area that is developing very rapidly. The interest in participating is much greater than we anticipated in our plans. But research data is a subject that is currently engaging both researchers and universities very much," he says.
There are increasingly extensive demands on how research data should be managed, both from funders and politicians. The program includes a variety of sessions where aspects of research data management will be discussed.
"Parts of the results from the conference will be important for how Chalmers, and other universities, will continue to develop support functions for good research data management in the future," says Sverker Holmgren.
Fact/ Research Data Alliance (RDA)
RDA is a bottom-up organization with over 13,000 individual members and more than 70 member organizations. RDA leads the global discussion on good research data management and how data is used in research. Many of the RDA recommendations have had a significant impact, and several of the standards that have been developed are widely used today by research communities, research infrastructures, and universities.
