On November 21 and 22, the 11th edition of the GDI Forum brought together around 150 participants from various institutions at the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu. With the participation of various stakeholders, the event encouraged debate on the management of research data, the development of technical skills and the promotion of knowledge about national and global initiatives in this area.
For two days, the community of researchers, science managers, data stewards, librarians, information and systems technicians, managers and students took part in the Flash Talks and Poster presentation sessions, where twelve relevant projects in this area were presented, as well as the "Coffee with Data" session, where the use of electronic laboratory notebooks was discussed.
One of the highlights of the 11th edition of the GDI Forum was the participation of Keynote Speaker Robin Rice, Head and Data Librarian at the University of Edinburgh, who shared the path taken by the organization in developing the institutional research data service. This was one of the pioneering institutions in adopting good practices, at a time when there was less concern about this area.
The workshop was also one of the main moments of the event, where research data repository services were discussed, various platforms shared and the experience of their user community.
The team behind FCT's Polen digital service, developed by FCCN, and organizer of the event, said that "this year's Forum was the biggest ever, both in terms of number of participants and activities. The Flash Talks, Posters, Workshops and Café com Dados were activities that have become established and will certainly continue and grow. It was possible to notice an increasing number of people whose work is directly related to Research Data Management (RDM), which demonstrates the high need for institutions to keep up with progress in this area. Also noteworthy was the promise that the Competence Centers, whose results were presented on the last day of the Forum, will be the start of a long-lasting and fruitful National Network for RDI."
At the GDI Forum, there was also room to share activities within the scope of the implementation of the National Program for Open Science and Open Research Data(PNCADAI), funded by the PRR, namely the creation of a Consortium and Competence Centers, which will contribute to the promotion of a national FAIR research data management network.
The event was organized by FCT, through the digital services unit FCCN, and the University of Minho. The 11th GDI Forum is part of investment RE-C05-i08 - Ciência Mais Digital, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan(PRR).
Edition 2025
For the next edition of the GDI Forum, to be held in 2025, the organization promises to maintain its commitment to an equally rich and diverse format, which showcases innovative projects and promotes an environment for sharing experiences and exchanging ideas on best practices.
