6 Nov 2025 | Member Highlights
The Astromaterials Data System (Astromat) serves as NASA’s official archive for laboratory analyses of returned samples from planetary missions and meteorites, providing a critical platform for the curation, publication, long-term preservation, and access to astromaterials analytical data. Astromat is dedicated to advancing scientific discovery by aligning its services with the FAIR Principles—ensuring that mission and research data are Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. By enabling the discovery and reuse of laboratory analytical data, Astromat maximizes the value and impact of unique astromaterials samples, supporting science, education, and society at large.
Astromat’s membership in the World Data System reflects a strong alignment of mission and values. Both organizations are committed to fostering open data sharing, transparency, and global collaboration. Through WDS, Astromat will further facilitate the integration of astromaterials sample data across the international research community, support data attribution and research verification, and contribute to best practices in trustworthy data stewardship. This partnership strengthens a culture of openness in planetary sciences and enhances the reach and utility of astromaterials data worldwide. They joined WDS as a Regular member in October 2025.
6 Nov 2025 | Member Highlights
DR-NTU (Data) is the institutional open access research data repository of Nanyang Technological University (NTU), dedicated to curating, storing, preserving, and providing access to digital data generated by the NTU research community across a wide range of disciplines. The repository not only enables the download and sharing of research data but also actively develops and disseminates guidance for responsible data management, sharing, and reuse. Through its efforts, DR-NTU (Data) promotes open science and upholds research integrity, supporting a culture of transparency and accessibility within the academic community.
DR-NTU (Data) and the World Data System share a strong commitment to advancing open science, responsible data stewardship, and global collaboration. By joining WDS as a regular member, DR-NTU (Data) expands its engagement with an international network dedicated to high standards in data management and sharing. The repository’s leadership in building a community of practice among Southeast Asian CoreTrustSeal-certified repositories brings valuable regional expertise to WDS, while WDS membership offers DR-NTU (Data) new opportunities to contribute to, and benefit from, evolving best practices and global initiatives that support research integrity and accessible, high-quality data services. They joined WDS as a Regular member in October 2025.
6 Nov 2025 | Member Highlights
Stellenbosch University (SU), one of Africa’s leading research-intensive institutions, is dedicated to advancing open science and responsible data stewardship across the continent. Through its suite of data and digital repositories that’s built on open-source infrastructure, SU demonstrates a strong commitment to transparency, accessibility, and the long-term sustainability of scholarly outputs. The university’s SUNScholarData repository holds CoreTrustSeal certification, affirming adherence to internationally recognized standards for trustworthy data management. Beyond technical excellence, SU actively fosters regional capacity by hosting workshops and training sessions on repository governance, metadata standards, and FAIR data principles throughout South Africa.
The partnership between SUNScholarData and the World Data System is a natural fit, as both organizations share a vision for global best practices in data stewardship, open access, and equitable research infrastructure. As a new regular member, SUNScholarData brings expertise in building robust, sustainable repositories and a strong track record in capacity building—strengthening WDS’s international network. In turn, WDS membership enables SU to engage more deeply with the global data community, contribute to the evolution of standards and best practices, and amplify its impact on fostering inclusive, high-quality data services that benefit research communities across Africa and beyond. They joined WDS as a Regular member in October 2025.
15 Oct 2025 | Uncategorized
Announcing the Opening of Applications: 2026 WDS Data Stewardship Award
We are pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2026 WDS Data Stewardship Award!
This prestigious award recognizes outstanding contributions to data stewardship and the advancement of Open Science across all disciplines.
Take this opportunity to showcase your work and join a global community dedicated to trusted data stewardship. For eligibility criteria, application details, and the full timeline, please explore the information below.
We look forward to receiving your applications and celebrating excellence in data stewardship!
Timeline:
Open Call: October 2025
Call Closes: 16 January 2026
Review Period: February-March 2026
Award Announcement: April 2026
Award Ceremony: IDW 2027
Award Criteria
Nominees should be early career data stewards who have excelled in:
- Comprehensive data management and/or curation throughout the data lifecycle.
- Adherence to applicable laws, policies, and ethical guidelines.
- Significant efforts to improve the quality, integrity, and accessibility of data and metadata.
Note: Contributions from nominees working in the private sector must clearly demonstrate their value to the broader data community and align with principles of open science, rather than being solely profit-driven.
Eligibility and Nomination Process
Eligible nominees are early career researchers within ten years of completing their Master’s degree, PhD, or equivalent professional training. Peers or organizations may submit nominations, or self-nominations are also welcome.
Selection Process
Nominations will be reviewed by a distinguished panel comprising members of the WDS Scientific Committee, representatives from the WDS International Technology Office, and Co-chairs of the WDS Early Career Researchers Network. Awardees will be selected based on their impactful contributions to the field of data stewardship. For detailed selection criteria, please refer to the reviewers’ rubric, also available on our website.
Apply Here
2 Oct 2025 | Member Highlights
DataCite is an international community dedicated to making research outputs and resources openly available and interconnected, enabling their reuse to advance knowledge across disciplines both now and into the future. By providing robust metadata that links samples, images, data, and preprints, DataCite empowers researchers to discover, cite, and reuse a wide range of research outputs. Their services support the creation and management of persistent identifiers (PIDs), streamline workflows, and facilitate interoperability with other infrastructure providers like Crossref, ORCID, and the Research Organization Registry (ROR). DataCite’s commitment to reliability, transparency, trust, and inclusivity ensures that their infrastructure remains sustainable and accessible to a diverse global community.
As an associate member of WDS since 2014, DataCite aligns closely with WDS’s mission to promote open data stewardship, interoperability, and adherence to best practices such as the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles. Through integrated services and collective registration efforts, DataCite helps maximize the impact of research by connecting outputs, supporting compliance, and enabling efficient resource sharing. Their transparent decision-making processes and active engagement in the Open Science community reinforce their position as a trusted partner for WDS members and stakeholders worldwide. By simplifying implementation and offering extensive support and documentation, DataCite contributes significantly to advancing global scientific collaboration and the responsible management of research data.
