TDCC-NES research instrument activities to be presented at PIDFest 2026
The findings of the TDCC-NES FAIR4Instruments workshop, will be presented at PIDFest 2026, the international conference on persistent identifiers, which will take place from 27 to 29 October in Leiden.
A white paper, entitled "Making hardware visible: persistent identifiers for research instruments in the Netherlands" is in the final stages of production and will be published in time for the conference, and presented there on behalf of TDCC-NES by Ari Asmi, lead author of the paper and expert on research data interoperability at both Leiden University and Delft University of Technology.
FAIR 4 Instruments
An active group of researchers, lab managers, data managers, and IT and interoperability experts, will be working together to solve some of the challenges identified during the FAIR4Instruments workshop in February 2026. A collaborative project team is drafting a funding application to support the work, and there will be opportunities for further involvement for all the 70+ participants of the workshop and others who are eager to adopt the solutions. Further news will be coming in due time.
The white paper presents the challenges, the vision, and the actions identified during the TDCC-NES FAIR4Instruments workshop. The Dutch research system currently lacks a coordinated, machine-actionable overview of instrumentation, leading to fragmented inventories, weak provenance, and inefficient use of major infrastructure investments. A national approach will align Dutch practice with emerging European frameworks, such as EOSC, and support cross-border interoperability.
Implementing instrument PIDs is not only a technical task but a cultural and organisational change, requiring clear governance, recognition for technical staff, and embedding practices in everyday research workflows.
The TDCC-NES is supporting progress so that effective solutions can be tested and delivered across The Netherlands for wide impact.
About PIDFest
PIDFest is an international summit of talks, activities, and workshops focusing on how persistent identifiers can deliver world-class research infrastructure. The goal of PIDfest is to bring together PID advocates, users, and leaders from around the world to solve real world infrastructure challenges that will accelerate research and innovation. Attendees can expect energetic discussions focused on solving real world challenges in delivering research infrastructure. Registration for PIDFest is expected to be open until the date of the event.
