OPEN and FAIR in NES: bringing about many dimensions of collaboration
Digital support experts from across the country, and from Germany, joined us this spring, from 22 to 23 May, at the very first mini-conference on Open and FAIR practices in the Natural & Engineering Sciences (NES) . Organized by TDCC-NES in close collaboration with 4TU.ResearchData and Dutch Open Science communities, the event took place at the Social Impact Factory Vredenburg in Utrecht.
The programme centred around three core themes, with a focus on Natural and Engineering Sciences:
- Funding Opportunities
- FAIR research practices
- Open Scholarly Infrastructure
A nicely balanced combination of panel discussions, workshops, lightning pitches and networking opportunities engaged researchers, software engineers, data stewards, and other academic professionals in lively discussions and practical project planning. From emerging ideas to established initiatives, the conversations brought together a vibrant cross-section of the NES landscape, and led to new and potentially exciting connections.
“Many thanks for this great opportunity to connect with researchers from different disciplines across the Netherlands, to learn about solutions for Open & FAIR data principles at different universities and institutes!
This event made it possible to start a new collaboration, and to exchange experiences with FAIR data platforms for different data types.”
— Felicia Wolters (Wageningen University & Research)
TDCC-NES Funded Projects in the Spotlight
Several projects already funded through TDCC-NES made important contributions to the programme:
- ODeDaI – Open Design Data Infrastructure
- Best Practices for Sustainable Software
- Financing Sustainable Research Software
You can learn more about these project initiatives, and others, on our TDCC-NES project page.
Advice from these project leads, and news of their progress and achievements, helped to spark discussions, bring real-world experience into the sessions, and highlight practical developments happening across the NES domain. Part of the purpose of bringing experienced project leads together with those developing new ideas is to ensure that we can learn and build upon previous experiences and outcomes.
Marta Teperek, programme lead for FAIR Data at OS-NL, and Emmy Tsang from the Invest in Open Institute also reflected, during the funding panel discussion, on the importance of learning from each other about how to plan and manage practical projects such as those funded by the Thematic DCCs, and how to improve the sustainability of their outcomes. They also had suggestions about how their own organisations might support this, so we will be sure to follow up with them to see how we can work together on these challenges.
As part of our efforts to support new ideas and collaborations, the conference also featured a dedicated matchmaking workshop to stimulate thinking around the current TDCC funding call. Participants were encouraged to pitch early-stage concepts so as to connect with potential partners or peers, and discuss their idea in an open process. This has already shown value, enabling prospective project leads to expand the potential of their idea and to reflect on increasing their impact.
For those interested in applying, more information about the call is available via NWO’s website. Please note: project ideas for 2025 funding must be submitted to TDCC-NES by 13 June for preliminary review by the NES Governing Board.
“It was a great setting to learn about so many interesting projects and initiatives driven by the NES community, and it provided a lot of space for discussions and networking.
Looking forward to the next edition!”
— Paula Martinez Lavanchy (TU Delft)
The event was funded jointly by 4TU.ResearchData and through project funding for Community building and project development for the TDCC-NES. This collaboration enabled both 4TU.ResearchData and the TDCC-NES to reach a wider audience, to bring different perspectives to the discussion, and to facilitate learning and connections that will benefit future collaborative projects.
With over a hundred participants, a heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone who contributed, attended, and helped make this event a success. We hope to see you again next year — and until then, let’s keep working together to build a more Open and FAIR future in NES!
Fotos by L. Varat
