16 April 2026

Join the World Data System (WDS) for our upcoming webinar: “Building an Ecosystem for Sustainable Urban Informatics: Open Science and Reproducibility.”

This presentation will provide a high-level overview of recent outputs from the NUS Urban Analytics Lab: papers introducing novel applications of emerging data (such as street view imagery) and recent open-source software, open datasets, and community-building initiatives in journals and beyond. This session will also include reflections and lessons learned on fostering reproducibility and open science practices such as open data sharing.

Speaker: Filip Biljecki, Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Founder of the NUS Urban Analytics Lab

Date: 20 April 2026, 20:00 EDT | 00:00 UTC

Join the World Data System for an engaging introduction to data spaces, a rapidly evolving approach transforming how institutions share, access, and leverage sensitive and non-sensitive sovereign data across organizational and national boundaries. We will unpack the concept of data spaces and explore the DataSpace Protocol (DSP) alongside a suite of emerging ISO standards (e.g., DCP) advancing via the International Data Spaces Association. Discover a variety of data space efforts relevant to basic and applied research, and join peers in the scientific repository community to explore how to advance data spaces in federation with other efforts.

Learn about real-world applications through concise recordings provided by four leading dataspace initiatives: the Australian Shared Environmental Analytics Facility, the OA Book Usage Data Trust, the Computer Network Information Center, and the Canadian National Data Spaces Pilot. Learn how these efforts are shaping interoperable, trusted environments for research. 

This session offers an excellent opportunity to connect with peers in the repository community, discuss strategies for federating dataspaces, and gain practical insights on developing or integrating dataspaces within your own context. A live Q&A session with the use case speakers will follow their presentations, providing direct access to experts and fostering an open dialogue about current challenges and future directions.

We invite all data repository professionals to join us in advancing collaborative, standards-based approaches to data stewardship through data spaces.

Two 60 minute sessions will be offered via Zoom.

Dates:

8 May 2026 at 9:00-10:00 EDT | 13:00-14:00 UTC

11 May 2026 at 15:00-16:00 EDT | 19:00-20:00 UTC

The output describing the Typology of Data Uses developed by the FORCE11 Data Usage Typologies Working Group, with representation from the WDS-ITO, is now available:

Bobrov, E., Broadhurst, R., Byers, N., Erdmann, C., Genova, F., Hellström, M., Kemp, J., Puebla, I., & FORCE11 Data Usage Typologies Working Group. (2026). Typology of Data Uses: An output of the FORCE11 Data Usage Typologies Working Group. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19184004

The typology aims to serve as a tool so that repositories, publishers, institutions, funders, infrastructure providers, and meta-researchers can consistently capture, compare, and evaluate the diverse ways in which data are used in research and beyond. This typology encapsulates three dimensions of data usage:

Initial community feedback on the typology is being collected via this form until 10 May 2026.

As the next step, the Working Group is pursuing recommendations for embedding the typology within existing metadata schemas, so that richer context about data usage can address a wide range of evaluation needs.

For more information on the working group and this output, visit their blog post.

The World Data System Early Career Researcher (WDS-ECR) Network is recruiting a new co-chair for a three-year term. Join two fellow co-chairs in leading an international community dedicated to advancing best practices in data stewardship and supporting early-career researchers across all disciplines.

Key responsibilities include:

Applicants should be enthusiastic about community building and fostering collaboration. We especially welcome candidates from diverse disciplinary, gender, and geographical backgrounds.

How to apply:
Submit your application form, CV, and two (2) reference letters via the link below.

Deadline: 31 May 2026

The World Data System Early Career Researcher (WDS-ECR) Network extends its heartfelt thanks to Claire Rye, who has recently completed her term as co-chair. Claire has been a pleasure to work with, dedicated, responsive, and consistently collaborative.

Her outstanding leadership was especially evident during International Data Week 2025 in Brisbane, Australia, where she represented and promoted the WDS-ECR Network with remarkable energy and professionalism. Claire also excelled in coordinating efforts with members from our partner early career networks at RDA and CODATA, strengthening cross-network collaboration and visibility.

We are extremely proud of Claire’s achievements and grateful for her commitment throughout her term. We look forward to following her career as it continues to soar.

WDS hosted four webinars in February and March 2026:

If you missed these webinars and would like to watch them now, you can find the webinar recordings and slides on our recently reformatted Webinar Archive page.

Check out the recent updates to the WDS website:

Let us know what other updates could be helpful for navigating our website by sending suggestions to wds-ipo@utk.edu!

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 program and registration. 

The Dataverse Community Meeting 2026 will be held 13-15 May 2026 in Barcelona, Spain with a conference theme of “Advancing Data and Dataverse: AI, Interoperability, and Sensitive Data.” This theme highlights key areas of interest for data professionals and researchers: building AI solutions for data to enhance repository workflows, data quality, and AI-ready data; improving interoperability to enable richer linkage and reuse across datasets, domains, and platforms; and expanding support for sensitive and restricted data.

Last Minute Registration Deadline: 30 April 2026

The NASIG 41st Annual Conference will be held from 2-4 June 2026 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Memorial Union, in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. The conference will include vision sessions and workshops that discuss cataloging, OpenRefine, librarianship, and more.

Normal Registration Deadline: 2 May 2026

Late Registration Period: 3 May-1 June 2026

Onsite Registration: 2-4 June 2026

PIDs 101: Global PID Adoption Use Cases: This session will highlight different Persistent Identifier (PID) adoption use cases across the global PID community and identify broadly applicable PID practices. 

Date & Time: 6 May 2026, 16:00 UTC

The Best Practices Exchange 2026 will be held from 18-20 May 2026 at Indiana University Indianapolis, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. This event aims to bring together practitioners to share ideas and strategies for managing, preserving, and providing access to digital information. Attendee spaces are limited.

Knowledge Equity and Open Scholarship Week 2026 will take place from 19-21 May 2026 and will be fully online. This global gathering aims to advance inclusive, equitable, and collaborative approaches to knowledge creation, dissemination, and access. It will bring together a mix of voices from across the globe, including practitioners, scholars, educators, librarians, students, policymakers, technologists, and community leaders in an effort to create an open space to learn, share, and connect.

Session Times: 9:00-10:00 UTC & 11:45-13:00 UTC

DataCite, a WDS associate member since 2014, is hosting DataCite Connect in Singapore on 5 June 2026. This event will be held in the Kwa Geok Choo Law Library and will provide a forum for DataCite Members and the broader community to discuss best practices, identify new opportunities for collaboration, and provide feedback on DataCite’s services. This is an in-person event that will not be recorded. Registration is “first come, first served.”

The Digital Preservation for the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (DPASSH) Conference 2026, hosted by the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI), a WDS regular member, will be held from 25-26 June 2026 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The theme for this conference is “Ready, Set, Preserve! Making Space for Play in Digital Preservation.” The conference will include over 30 talks, workshops, and alternative sessions that will explore creative, collaborative approaches to preserving digital culture, lowering barriers through gamified learning, and tackling technical and ethical challenges of preserving interactive media.

The 2026 Global Conference of the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD), being held in Paris, France and online from 15-17 July 2026, will have the theme “Science in action: Charting a sustainable and equitable future for all.” This conference will serve as a global platform to assess progress, share solutions, and forge the partnerships needed to mobilize science for sustainable development at scale.

In-Person Registration Deadline: 30 June 2026

The European Summer University in Digital Humanities (ESU) will be held 6-18 July 2026 in Besançon, France, with the theme “Culture and Technology.” Applications are due by 24 May 2026.

The ICSTI Annual Conference 2026, being hosted by WDS member Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), will be held in Seoul, South Korea from 6-7 August 2026. Registration for the conference is now open.

A call for papers is open for the International CLaDA-BG Conference 2026, which will be held 25-26 June 2026 in Sofia, Bulgaria. This conference aims to bring together Natural Language Processing (NLP) developers, linguists, digital humanitarians, scholars, and all parties interested in knowledge modeling and linking data for research. The following submission types will be accepted:

Submit full papers or extended abstracts in PDF to the following email: ltadh-ra@bultreebank.org

Submission Deadline: 19 April 2026

The Digital Parliamentary Data in Action (DiPaDA) 2026, being held on 16 September 2026 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, is accepting submissions to their open call for papers. The aim of this conference is to foster dialogue across disciplines and to strengthen the foundations for future research on the political, cultural, and linguistic heritage preserved in parliamentary records. Full papers and extended abstracts will be accepted and should follow these guidelines:

Submission Deadline: 24 April 2026

The Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) program is taking submissions for an upcoming special issue in the Journal of Hazards, Risk and Resilience (JHRR). This special issue will focus on advancing community-based disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, with a particular focus on innovative research led by young scientists. Themes and submission guidelines can be found here.

Submission Deadline: 30 April 2026

The Digital Humanities and Artificial Intelligence in African Studies: Towards Sustainable and Equitable Practices workshop, being held in Stellenbosch, South Africa from 21–24 September 2026, has an open call for papers. Proposals for individual papers (20-minute presentations) of up to 500 words in English or French are invited. The workshop program will be structured around the following themes:

Submission Deadline: 30 April 2026

The Konferenz zur Verarbeitung  natürlicher Sprache (KONVENS 2026) annual conference will be held in Hamburg, Germany from 14-17 September 2026 and has an open call for conference papers. The conference theme will be “Context Matters: NLP (Natural Language Processing) Beyond Text.” The following types of submissions will be accepted:

Submission Deadline: 30 April 2026

The International Science Council (ISC), in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and partners, is implementing a pilot project to develop a Media Toolkit based on the Hazard Information Profiles (HIPs), which provide scientifically grounded, standardized definitions of hazards. This project aims to co-design practical tools that support journalists and media professionals in delivering accurate, consistent, and evidence-based reporting on hazards and disasters across multiple media formats. A call for consultants to work on this project is open and is aimed at junior to mid-level professionals with experience in journalism, media relations, or science communication.

Application Deadline: 30 April 2026

InterPore, in collaboration with the International Science Council (ISC) and several ISC Members, has launched the SCI2SDG (Mapping Contributions of ISC Members to the UN Sustainable Development Goals) project. This project aims to map and analyze how science generated, coordinated, and supported by ISC Member organizations contributes to the UN SDGs, identify strengths and gaps across disciplines and regions, and inform future science-policy dialogue during and beyond the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (2024-2033). The project survey, which will capture organizational priorities, scientific contributions, and future directions, is now open.

Survey Deadline: 30 April 2026

The Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) is looking for volunteers for their Data Help Desk at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly being held from 3-8 May 2026 in Vienna, Austria, and online. Volunteers can support the help desk by answering questions (or helping attendees find answers), sharing resources, and/or giving a demo on a tool they use.

Interest Form Submission Deadline: 21 April 2026

The Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) has an open call for session proposals for their 2026 July ESIP Meeting being held from 28-31 July 2026 in Austin, Texas, United States, and online. The meeting theme will be “Bridging Divides: Data, Technology, Community.” Individuals are encouraged to submit proposals for high-quality, 90-minute sessions that are relevant to ESIP areas of interest and the meeting’s theme.

Submission Deadline: 15 May 2026

The Research Data Alliance (RDA) 27th Plenary Meeting (P27) will take place in London, United Kingdom, as an in-person event, 6-8 October 2026. P27 will be hosted by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) with the theme “Shaping a global open research commons.” Three open calls are being held for various submission types:

Call for Sessions: RDA Groups and Birds of a Feather organizers are invited to submit session proposals to discuss and develop their ongoing work or present a new idea at P27.

Submission Deadline: 15 May 2026

Call for Posters: RDA members are invited to submit a poster for the RDA 27th Plenary Meeting (P27) as an opportunity to share your work, ideas, and research data challenges with the global RDA community.

Submission Deadline: 26 June 2026

Call for Ideas Pitch Sessions: These sessions are fast-paced, collaborative sessions where you pitch your idea to the RDA community in just 7 minutes, giving you the chance to share your vision, connect with others, and discover potential collaborators, supporters, and resources.

Submission Deadline: 9 June 2026

A research team at Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute is seeking participants for their AI-Assisted Data Analysis Study. If chosen, participants will join a single 120-minute remote session via Microsoft Teams, in which they will complete an exploratory data analysis task using a notebook environment and an AI coding assistant, write a short memo summarizing their findings, and complete a brief survey reflecting on their experience.

An interest form is required to be considered for the study. The study includes a $40 compensation via an Amazon gift card.

The University of Nottingham is offering a PhD opportunity to develop computational approaches to understanding manuscripts held at the University of Nottingham’s Manuscripts and Special Collections (MSC) facility, which holds over 3.5 million physical documents and artifacts, including substantial collections specifically on horticulture, farming, and gardening in Nottinghamshire and the United Kingdom.

Start date: 1 October 2026

Funding: Annual tax-free stipend to cover living costs based on the UKRI rate (£21,805 for 2026/27), Home tuition fee, and £3000 p.a. Research Training Support Grant.

Application Deadline: 19 April 2026

Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities European Research Infrastructure Consortium (DARIAH ERIC) is seeking a Research Software Engineer to support the technical integration of ATRIUM (Advancing FronTier Research in the Arts and Humanities). This role would support ATRIUM’s work plan from a technical perspective, including multiple interrelated lines of action across data and metadata harmonization, workflows, and service integration.

Application Deadline: 20 April 2026

The Seeds of Science, Asia program, which is run by the International Science Council’s Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific (ISC-RFP-AP) in collaboration with the International Network for Governmental Science Advice (INGSA-Asia), is an opportunity for scientists, researchers, academics, and practitioners in Asia to share their knowledge and insights with members of the scientific community and policy makers in their respective countries. Grants of up to $15,000 each will be awarded to applicants with well-outlined proposals to organize workshops, trainings, focused advocacies, and wider activities promoting science advice at an institutional or national level in their respective countries.

Application Deadline: 27 April 2026

The Journal of the Canadian Health Libraries Association/Journal de l'Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada (JCHLA /JABSC) invites submissions for their annual Student Paper Prize competition. Students currently enrolled in accredited master's programs in library science or in library technician programs are eligible to enter the competition. Past winners and their papers can be found here.

Submission Types:

Submission Deadline: 30 April 2026

Questions may be directed to the JCHLA/JABSC Editor at editor@chla-absc.ca

The Australian Academy of Science has opened nominations for honorific awards, which recognize outstanding contributions to the advancement of science by researchers in all career stages. Awards open for nominations include:

Nomination Deadline: 1 May 2026

The International Science Council (ISC), the University of Bergen, and the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) are accepting nominations for the 2026 Stein Rokkan Prize for Comparative Social Science Research. This prize is open to works in comparative studies from all social science disciplines and is given to a submission deemed to be a substantial and original contribution in comparative social science research. The prize amount to be awarded is 5,000 EUR.

Nomination Deadline: 1 May 2026

The Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO) is accepting expressions of interest for several positions, offering the opportunity to contribute to the Digital Humanities field. The positions open include Executive Board Chair-Elect, Deputy Treasurer, Executive Board Deputy Secretary, and Deputy Conference Officer. Full role descriptions and application details can be found on their website.

Application Deadline: 1 May 2026

The Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) has opened nominations for the Digital Preservation Awards. These awards aim to celebrate the achievements of individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions towards a sustainable future for digital assets. Winners will receive:

Nomination Deadline: 5 May 2026

The Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) is now accepting applications for an Early-Career Scientist (ECS) to join its Executive Committee. This position will include reaching a broader community of ECS to get involved in SCOR activities and building on the initiatives of prior ECS members, including organizing ECS activities at annual meetings, delivering presentations to ECS audiences, and recommending improved practices to SCOR.

Application Deadline: 8 May 2026

Nominations are open for the 2027 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. This prize aims to recognize contributions to:

Submission Deadline: 15 May 2026

The Republic of South Africa’s Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) is accepting applications for the 2026 South African Women in Science Awards (SAWISA), which recognizes and celebrates women scientists and researchers across South Africa. The theme of the awards for 2026 is “Placing Women at the Centre of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).” The award categories include:

Application Deadline: 31 May 2026

Send Applications to: sawisa@dsti.gov.za

Common Language Resources and Technology Infrastructure (CLARIN) is accepting applications for its 2026 mobility grants. Grants of up to €1,200 will be awarded. These grants aim to support individual researchers, developers, and educators with funding for short visits between representatives of CLARIN sites from different countries to collaborate on building and using the CLARIN infrastructure.

The Stanford University Libraries has an open position for a Metadata Archivist. The primary responsibilities for this position include describing digital files across Stanford University Archives collections (both born-digital and digitized) and accessioning those files to the Stanford Digital Repository (SDR), supporting broader initiatives of the Department and of Stanford Libraries, and assisting Stanford University administrative offices and academic units in digital file management. This is a 3-year fixed term position with potential for renewal.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Natural Sciences Sector is putting together a roster of experts who can potentially work in areas related to UNESCO’s mandate in science. This Roster aims to strengthen collaboration and knowledge exchange among Member States, while also providing visibility to independent specialists. The Roster will include junior to senior level experts in the following fields: Basic Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Emerging Technologies, Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, Open Science, Science Education and Science Communication. This is a continuous open call to allow regular updates to the Roster.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)’s NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) has an open postdoctoral fellowship opportunity: Data Science for Satellite Remote Sensing and Earth Science Research. The fellow will be a part of the NASA Earth eXchange (NEX). This opportunity will include applying machine learning and/or other data science techniques to conduct scientific research, improving remote sensing data products and analysis, integrating machine learning with physics-based models, and/or improving processing of remotely-sensed Earth Science data.

Application Deadline: 1 November 2026

The National Digital Stewardship Alliance (NDSA) has released the Levels of Digital Preservation version 2.1, focusing on environmental sustainability, which included minor edits to the supporting resources.

The Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) Partner Assembly has officially endorsed the newly updated “Publishing Open Research Using Physical Samples: Guidance for Authors.” This guide provides a clear, standardized workflow to help authors make their sample-based research Open, FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), and reproducible.

A special edition of Common Language Resources and Technology Infrastructure European Research Infrastructure Consortium (CLARIN ERIC)’s Tour de CLARIN, which features PhD students that are active in the CLARIN network, has begun with the first two interviews in the collection:

These interviews explore the PhD students’ research, their familiarity with CLARIN, and their use of CLARIN tools and services.

Sign up to receive monthly WDS updates and news.

Have something to share in our next newsletter? Send us the information below!