The DataCite team traveled to Brisbane for International Data Week (IDW) 2025, the leading international conference on research data. It is jointly organised by the International Science Council's Committee on Data (CODATA), the World Data System (WDS), and the Research Data Alliance (RDA). It was a great opportunity to connect with familiar and new faces. In this post, we share some of our favorite highlights from the week, including a roundup of our in-person DataCite Connect meetup, and an official introduction to DataCite’s newest team member – Maria Levchenko.

International Data Week 2025

The focus of IDW 2025 was on data for positive change, and the role it plays in empowering communities and advancing research. Researchers, data specialists, policy makers, as well as technology and infrastructure providers, jointly discussed potential solutions to global challenges that we collectively face.

Throughout the conference, we explored the ways to empower impact, equity, and inclusion within the global data community. As a community-driven organisation, DataCite places particular importance on inclusivity as one of its core values. At a session hosted by CODATA, we presented DataCite's efforts in building an equitable global research infrastructure through our Global Access Program. We heard both regional and international perspectives on open research, with several presentations on national PID strategies highlighting the role DataCite plays in supporting the PID ecosystem and connecting diverse research outputs. Finally, we scrutinized prerequisites for rigorous, responsible, and reproducible science in the era of FAIR data and artificial intelligence. Noting that developing and training AI models requires trusted, structured, open data, several presentations emphasized the importance of robust open infrastructures, such as DataCite, in supporting data management and stewardship practices to improve research data quality.

Our main takeaway is that collaborative approaches offer a way to scale efforts and increase adoption – with community co-creation forming a central pillar of DataCite's future strategic plans.

DataCite Connect Event in Brisbane

On 17 October, we hosted DataCite Connect in Brisbane, Australia co-located with IDW. Our goal was to bring our global community together to discuss best practices, identify new opportunities for collaboration, and share feedback on DataCite's services. This was our first event hosted in Australia, and we welcomed 35 participants from 16 countries, including China, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Canada. 

To break the ice, we asked everyone to share one big metadata challenge they are currently working on. From multilingual metadata to complex data citation, we connected over common issues and set the scene for the presentations and discussions that followed. 

First, Matt Buys, DataCite's Executive Director, started with reflections on DataCite's journey so far and shared insights into future strategic directions, centering on community co-creation, scalable global adoption, and metadata quality, utility, and stewardship.

Following on, Natasha Simons from the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC), the DataCite Consortium Lead in Australia, showcased how Australian institutions are integrating DataCite services across the research landscape. She emphasized the scalability of a national approach to the adoption of persistent identifiers, and its effect on time and cost saving and reducing effort duplication. Her example of using DataCite DOIs for research instruments explained how tracking instrument use through DOI citations helps justify future funding and investments. Natasha also emphasized how DataCite DOIs can be used for awards and to track related research activities.

Petra Černohlávková from the National Library of Technology, the DataCite Consortium Lead in Czechia, highlighted their experience in building a community of practice, addressing consortium challenges and opportunities for growth, and their efforts toward implementing a national PID strategy. Petra shared some of the lessons learned along the way, stressing how raising awareness around the utility of DataCite DOIs, for example, through a cost-benefit analysis, increases their adoption.

Following a networking coffee break, we heard from Jia Liu from the Computer Network and Information Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Jia explained how national data centers are using DataCite DOIs to strengthen research data management and ensure global visibility of China's research outputs. Jia also touched on the importance of high-quality metadata and trust signals to support the growing use of AI in research.

Finally, Rory Macneil from Research Space presented the use case for IGSN IDs in integrated data capture setup, showcasing how seamless integration of IGSN identifiers in RSpace enhances FAIR research workflows. The presentation concluded that the wide uptake of PIDs requires interoperability with research tools.

The session ended with an interactive discussion focused on PID adoption strategies. We shared approaches to address primary adoption barriers, from dedicated training and support to demonstrating the tangible benefits of PIDs to researchers and institutions through metrics and success stories. 

This event centered around joint community efforts to ensure that research outputs and resources are openly available and connected, and the role of DataCite services in supporting this goal. We thank all the speakers and participants of DataCite Connect Brisbane for their valuable input and exciting ideas that continue to shape the future of DataCite and open research infrastructure as a whole.

Re-introducing the DataCite Community Team

During our time in Brisbane, we had a chance to connect with members, partners, and collaborators. This was also the first time for some of our team members to meet in person. Mohamad Mostafa and Maria Levchenko, DataCite Community Specialists, work closely together on community engagement and development, despite over 5000 km distance between the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, where Mohamad and Maria are based, respectively. The DataCite community team acts as a key liaison between DataCite and its community members, ensuring their needs are understood, addressed, and reflected in the organization's services and strategic priorities. We introduce Mohamad and Maria below.

Mohamad Mostafa

Joining DataCite almost two and a half years ago through the Global Access Program gave me the opportunity to engage closely with emerging communities in the Middle East and Asia—listening to their feedback on challenges, barriers to adoption, and opportunities for collaboration. Together, we worked to find a path to build and enrich communities and strengthen a trusted and equitable open research infrastructure. This collaboration has contributed to the growth of the DataCite community, including examples such as the launch of new national consortia in Thailand, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and, most recently, Ethiopia, which has opened the door for research organizations in these regions to benefit from DataCite services while embracing open research practices.

I am now excited to continue this journey in my new role as Community Specialist with a global focus, which began earlier this year with conversations and collective efforts to drive our membership and grow our community. While my scope has expanded, my approach remains the same—listening to, understanding, and supporting each community's needs, identifying opportunities for collaboration, and fostering partnerships to advance DataCite as an Open Science enabler worldwide. I look forward to connecting, exchanging ideas, and working to strengthen our dynamic and global community together.

Maria Levchenko

What better way could there be to start a new role as a Community Specialist than by meeting your community members? I'm Maria Levchenko and straight after joining DataCite in October 2025 I was lucky to attend the International Data Week 2025 and the DataCite Connect event in Brisbane. 

As a part of the DataCite community team, I support organisations that wish to adopt open research practices through DataCite membership, services, and activities. Community is one of the main pillars of DataCite, and I understand that notion firsthand. For the last nine years, I have been growing and supporting a user community for Europe PMC – an open scholarly infrastructure in the life sciences. Throughout my journey, I learned a lot about the value of closely listening to your community, co-designing solutions and being transparent about your work – the key ingredients for building trust and fostering engagement. 

I come from a biomedical background, pivoting from wet lab work first to research policy and then to building open scholarly infrastructure, after realising that the impact of open science extends far beyond the bench. My aspiration is to empower the scholarly community to share research openly and make knowledge accessible to everyone.

In parallel with my professional focus on growing and nurturing my community, in my spare time I enjoy growing and nurturing a bee-friendly garden, learning a lot about the importance of patience, experimentation, and tailored support for every plant or community member alike.

I am excited to bring my experience and enthusiasm to DataCite and to learn from this active global community. If we haven't met yet, I look forward to connecting with you — online or at our next event.