Highlights from International Data Week 2025
Data Without Borders: Highlights from International Data Week 2025
The World Data System, alongside the Research Data Alliance (RDA), CODATA, and the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC), hosted International Data Week in Brisbane, Australia, 13-16 October 2025. This biennial conference includes both the RDA Plenary and WDS and CODATA’s SciDataCon, as well as IDW plenaries and networking opportunities to bring everyone together.
In total, 807 participants attended, including 704 onsite and 103 online, representing 75 countries, who participated in four plenaries, 107 sessions, and 130 posters.
We are grateful for the over 300 people who submitted abstracts to SciDataCon and for the 60 posters, 32 sessions, and 63 lightning talks that were held.
13 October 2025
The conference started with Plenary Session 1 focusing on CAREFul Indigenous Data Governance, which was also the theme for the day. Session chair Rosie Hicks led an enlightening discussion with Alfred J. P. Lin, who focused on Taiwan Indigenous peoples, Niklas Labba, focusing on Sámi data, and Marcia Langton, who shared about the embedding of indigenous data governance in national research infrastructure.
15 October 2025
WDS’s Reyna Broadhurst led Plenary Session 3, “Open Research and Federated Systems: Disciplinary, Regional, and International Perspectives.” The session featured thought-provoking presentations from Fiona Bradley, Marcel Garcia de Souza, and Bernie Pope.
Fiona Bradley emphasized the importance of equitable access to knowledge, advocating for open research practices that benefit all communities. Marcel Garcia de Souza shared perspectives on open research and federated systems in Brazil, highlighting regional advancements and challenges. Bernie Pope provided valuable insights into genomics and data sharing, illustrating how robust infrastructure can empower open, ethical science across disciplines.
14 October 2025
The second day featured Plenary Session 2, “Rigorous, Responsible, and Reproducible Science in the Era of FAIR Data and AI,” chaired by CODATA’s President Mercè Crosas. Highlights included Agnes Kiragga’s presentation on the practical applications of data science tools, Ana Arjona’s insightful call for deeper data validation in social science research, and Juliet A. Gerrard’s thoughtful reflections on navigating the interface between science and policy.
16 October 2025
On the final day, we bid farewell to IDW 2025 with a closing plenary led by RDA’s Hillary Hanahoe, entitled “Data for Positive Change: Where to Next?” This inspiring session featured talks from Scientific Committee member Devika Madalli, Nokuthula Mchunu, Sandra Collins, and Rodrigo Roa—each offering forward-looking perspectives on harnessing data for societal benefit and charting the future of our global data community.
We want to thank our sponsors who made this event possible:
Those who attended the conference have access to the sessions in the app, while video recordings of the IDW 2025 sessions will be available on ARDC YouTube in January 2026. Also, in January 2026, the slides from SciDataCon 2025 and the RDA Plenary 25 sessions will be available.
And don’t forget, save the date for IDW 2027 to be held in Cape Town, South Africa, 20-23 September 2027 at the Cape Town International Conference Centre.
Celebrating Leadership: Thank You, Claire Rye
The World Data System extends its heartfelt gratitude to Claire Rye, co-chair of our Early Career Researchers Network and regional champion for IDW 2025.
Claire’s multifaceted contributions exemplify the spirit of innovation and collaboration that drives our ECR community:
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- Championing ECR Excellence: Claire represented our network with distinction, presenting a poster that highlighted the benefits of becoming a part of our WDS-ECR Network.
- Empowering Peers: She played a pivotal role in organizing the “3-Minute Pitch Your Research” competition, together with representatives from CODATA Connect and RDA, providing a dynamic platform for emerging voices to share their work with an international audience.
- Bridging Borders: Together with CODATA Connect and RDA Early Career members, Claire presented her work, showcasing how the ECR community transcends geographic and disciplinary boundaries—demonstrating the global reach and diversity of our field.
Claire’s tireless efforts have elevated the visibility of early career researchers, fostered new connections, and inspired future leaders in the data science world. We thank Claire for her brilliant work and continued commitment to building an inclusive, vibrant community.
Please join us in celebrating Claire’s achievements. Her leadership sets a powerful example for all data science professionals.
Honoring Excellence: World Data System Data Stewardship Awards at IDW 2025
The World Data System was honored to present the 2025 Data Stewardship Award to Youhua Ran at International Data Week 2025. As a geographer specializing in permafrost mapping, Dr. Ran has systematically compiled a global dataset of ground-based permafrost observations and, through extensive collaboration and integration with remote sensing, developed new high-quality maps for the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and the Northern Hemisphere. His work provides a vital foundation for understanding permafrost distribution, assessing environmental changes, and supporting ecological conservation and engineering planning. Dr. Ran’s leadership in open data sharing and quality assurance—especially through the HiWATER project, national standards development, and service as an expert reviewer—has set new benchmarks for geographic science data stewardship in China.
We were also delighted to finally present the Data Stewardship Award to Libby Liggins, originally awarded in 2019 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and office transitions. Dr. Liggins’ commitment to ethical data stewardship is exemplified by her integration of best practices, tools, and community infrastructures into her research in marine evolutionary ecology:
“I now see data stewardship and the advancement of tools, infrastructures, and community practices in aid of ethical data stewardship, as a part of my professional research practice alongside marine evolutionary ecology.”
Congratulations to both awardees for their visionary leadership and transformative impact on global data stewardship!
2026 Data Stewardship Award
Now it’s your turn!
Applications are open for the 2026 Data Stewardship Award.
If you or someone you know has made outstanding contributions to advancing open, ethical, and impactful data stewardship, we encourage you to apply or nominate a colleague today.
