20 August 2026

WDS is pleased to welcome Dr. Ranjeet Kumar Singh as the new Co-Chair of the WDS Early Career Researcher (ECR) Network. 

Dr. Singh is an experienced research data manager and Assistant Librarian at the Delhi University Library System, University of Delhi. His expertise spans research data management, FAIR data governance, open science policy, and machine-actionable Data Management Plans. He has contributed to advancing research support through roles at CABI and as developer of the ShodhSarthi platform. 

Dr. Singh’s commitment to ethical data practices and collaborative engagement will further strengthen our network in supporting early-career researchers facing data-related challenges.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Singh to this leadership role!

Join the World Data System Early Career Researcher Network (WDS-ECR) for a conversation with the winners of the 2026 Data Stewardship Award. This webinar will include an extended interview with the three winners in which they discuss their careers, data stewardship, what the Data Stewardship Award application process is like, and more. It will also feature a brief presentation from each winner in which they discuss their work in data stewardship. This session will end with an interactive Q&A session, giving attendees the chance to ask the speakers their own questions.

2026 Data Stewardship Winners: 

Date & Time: 3 September 2026, 11:00 EDT | 15:00 UTC 

WDS is pleased to share a recent paper by Samantha Campbell, former WDS Information Specialist, examining how Persistent Identifiers (PIDs) are being adopted across the WDS community. PIDs are a critical component of the research lifecycle, strengthening the discoverability of digital resources and the people and organizations behind them. While the benefits of PIDs are widely recognized, the paper notes that adoption remains inconsistent, often lacking standardization, clear policies, and broad awareness—factors that may contribute to uneven uptake among researchers and institutions. Focusing on PID types particularly relevant to WDS members—ORCIDs, RoRs, and NAANs—the study aims to quantify current adoption, identify barriers that limit wider use, and outline practical next steps to encourage more consistent PID implementation across WDS.

International Data Week (IDW) 2027 will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, from 20-23 September 2027. Mark your calendars and plan to join us for this fantastic conference that brings together data professionals, researchers, policy makers, and innovators from around the world. Stay tuned for more details on the website launch and the call for sessions. 

The Research Data Alliance (RDA)'s 27th Plenary Meeting (P27) is being held in London, United Kingdom, as an in-person event from 6-8 October 2026. P27 will be hosted by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and will have the theme “Shaping a Global Open Research Commons.” 

Early Bird Registration Deadline: 27 August 2026 

The Michigan Institute for Data and AI in Society (MIDAS) at the University of Michigan—home to one of the world’s largest AI in Science postdoctoral training programs—is expanding its support for African researchers through a new virtual course. The offering builds on MIDAS’s AI in Science African Faculty Fellows training program, funded by Schmidt Sciences, and draws on the proven curriculum of the AI for Scientists and Engineers Summer Academy, delivered in 2025 and 2026. 

By the end of the module, participants will be ready to take the next steps in their AI journey, better prepared to integrate AI approaches into their research, and more effective collaborators with AI experts. The course is free with no prior coding experience required. The module becomes available on 16 September 2026. 

UbuntuNet Alliance continues to advance research and education networking across East and Southern Africa with their upcoming conference, UbuntuNet Connect 2026, 29-31 October 2026 in Lilongwe, Malawi. The theme of “Shaping Digital Horizons” reflects their mission by emphasizing the need for resilient, inclusive, and sustainable digital infrastructure as a long-term platform for research and learning communities; it also highlights a shared understanding that connectivity is not only technical capacity, but a prerequisite for future-ready research ecosystems, including intelligent services and stronger cross-border partnerships. UbuntuNet-Connect 2026 aims to provide a forum to explore how National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), partners, and policymakers can work together to shape digital futures that are secure, open, innovative, and responsive to regional priorities. 

Registration Deadline: 30 September 2026

The 30th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Digital Libraries (TPDL), being held in Faro, Portugal, from 22-25 September 2026 has an open call for papers for their TPDL 2026 Doctoral Consortium. This call offers PhD students the opportunity to present their research in a supportive, expert environment, receive structured feedback from senior researchers, and connect with peers at similar stages of their academic journey. Submissions from early- and mid-stage PhD students working on ongoing or planned research relevant to the TPDL community are encouraged. 

Submission Deadline: 30 August 2026 

Have you encountered any issues when it comes to sharing, finding, accessing, and working with research data? If you're a researcher/professional working with research data, its management or curation, or the infrastructure that supports this, then your perspective on the future of FAIR long-term data preservation is invaluable. 

Deadline: 31 August 2026 

The International Science Council Forum on Publishing and Research Assessment is inviting the global research community to share their perspectives on what types of scientific contributions often go unrecognized, beyond peer-reviewed journal articles. Data, software, policy advice, education, community engagement, and more all play vital roles in advancing science. 

Anyone involved in research, at any career stage or sector (including those outside academia), is encouraged to participate. The survey takes about 15 minutes and is open until 31 August 2026. Responses will help shape future recommendations on recognizing diverse scientific contributions. 

Open Science Collaborative of Library and Information Professionals (OSCLIP) invites individuals to contribute their instructional resources to a new OSCLIP initiative dedicated to building a comprehensive knowledge bank for open science instruction for library and information professionals. Their goal is to collect, organize, and share high-quality instructional materials that OSCLIP members can use, adapt, and reuse to inform and enhance their own instruction practices. Carnegie Mellon University, the host of the OSCLIP project, was a Lyrasis 2026 Catalyst Fund Recipient. The awarded amount will be used to help transition the four OSCLIP projects from prototypes to community-validated resources. 

WDS is proud to support the development of the OSCLIP knowledge base with direct involvement in this working group. Join us by sharing your instructional resources! 

Submission Deadline: 25 September 2026 

Launched in 2002, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Fellowship Program supports early-career researchers in Antarctic science while strengthening international capacity and collaboration. Fellowships are available to PhD students and researchers within five years of completing a PhD to undertake research in laboratories, field facilities, or institutes in (or operated by) SCAR member countries, hosted in a country different from the applicant’s origin and current residence. SCAR will also continue to allow partly or fully remote fellowships where appropriate. 

Submission Deadline: 4 September 2026 

The International Science Council (ISC) and the International Network for Governmental Science Advice (INGSA) have launched a new, free online training program, “Science Advice to Policy”, that already has over 500 researchers registered. The initiative responds to growing expectations on scientists to provide advice that is credible, timely, and usable in complex policy environments, from crisis response to long-term challenges like climate change and digital transformation. 

The program is structured as a five-module course that builds from the fundamentals of science–policy relationships to practical skills in evidence synthesis, knowledge brokerage, and communication, supported by interactive case studies and webinars. Registration is now open for the second cohort, expected to begin in early September, with plans to make the training more widely available later under a Creative Commons license. 

Registration Deadline: 6 September 2026 

The Royal Society’s University Research Fellowship (URF) program supports the next generation of research leaders by giving outstanding early-career scientists the opportunity to build an independent research career at a United Kingdom university or research institution. The fellowship is designed to provide the time, freedom, and flexible long-term support needed to pursue ambitious, high-quality, and innovative research, alongside tailored professional development, networking, and engagement opportunities. 

URFs run for eight years, with years six to eight contingent on satisfactory progress through a mid-fellowship review at the start of year four. The Royal Society also emphasizes that diversity is essential to excellence in STEM, and encourages applications from the widest range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, supported by ongoing efforts to embed equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) across its grant-making processes. 

Submission Deadline: 9 September 2026

The British Academy is offering awards of up to £8,000 for humanities and social sciences researchers to push boundaries and seek imaginative new ways to engage with the public through their SHAPE Involve and Engage public engagement program. They are seeking researchers from across the United Kingdom to deliver innovative public engagement projects working in partnership with a gallery, archive, library or museum or a performing arts organization. 

Deadline: 15 September 2026 

Applications for the Adam Kilgarriff Prize, a prize intended for young researchers in the fields of corpus linguistics, language technologies, and lexicography, are open for the sixth iteration of the award. The winner of the prize will receive EUR 2500, perpetual Sketch Engine access, the option of a lecture or demo session at the eLex conference, and a recommendation to the conference’s program committee as an invited speaker, if willing. Additionally, the winner may be given one of the keynote slots to give the Adam Kilgarriff Lecture (subject to the committee’s agreement).  

Deadline to Apply: 30 September 2026 

The Endangered Languages Documentation Programme (ELDP) is offering multiple grants for the documentation of endangered languages globally. ELDP invites applications from documenters from language communities, local scholars, and students from the country where the language is spoken/signed, as well as collaborative and interdisciplinary projects.  

Application Deadline: 1 October 2026, 17:00 CEST | 15:00 UTC 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Data Science Strategy (ODSS) has six new fellowship opportunities with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis through the end of 2026. 

The NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) has announced two new Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) postdoctoral fellowship opportunities, offering high-impact training for early-career scientists while supporting ORWH priorities in women’s health, data science, and New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). Designed to be immersive and mission-aligned, the fellowships provide exposure to cross-cutting scientific and programmatic work and engagement with emerging areas central to ORWH’s portfolio. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis through the end of 2026.

A new resource from Sense about Science’s Risk Know-How initiative offers a set of key self-check questions to help improve how data and risk are communicated, ensuring messages better align with communities’ needs and contexts. It prompts communicators to reflect on what they already know about the environment in which information will be received, and what additional context people may need to interpret risk calculations accurately. 

By encouraging this kind of structured reflection, the resource aims to reduce common misunderstandings and support clearer, more actionable risk communication. As part of the same initiative, they also offer a risk communication workbook to help teams put these principles into practice and build more consistent, community-centered communication approaches.

Discover how the ESIP community developed the Biological Data Standards (BDS) Cluster Primer Guide, a living, collaborative resource designed to make biological data integration, interoperability, and web-readiness more accessible for Earth science. This guide highlights effective community-driven approaches to advancing data standards. 

Interested in applying these lessons or learning more about the process? Read the latest ESIP blog for further insights.

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