The first day of the CESSDA 50 conference opened with a warm welcome from Executive Director Bonnie Wolff-Boenisch, bringing participants together for a full day of workshops focused on interoperability, trust, sensitive data, multilingual services, and data citation.

Throughout the day, the importance of coordination was a unifying theme: whether discussing technical standards, certification processes, secure access to sensitive data, or multilingual repository services, participants explored how shared approaches can help strengthen CESSDA’s role as a European research infrastructure.

Workshop 1: Interoperability Ecosystem: Back to Basics

Speakers: Darren Bell (UK Data Service) and Matthew Morris (CESSDA Main Office)

The first workshop, Interoperability Ecosystem: Back to Basics, set the tone by introducing key concepts and connections across the European Research Area. Speakers Darren Bell and Matthew Morris guided participants through how CESSDA, EOSC, SSHOC, the DDI Alliance, and related standards and tools fit together. The session offered a clear and accessible overview of interoperability and federation, showing why these concepts matter for data repositories, Service Providers, and researchers alike.

DATICE's Kjartan Ólafsson paying keen attention during the first session of the conference. 

Workshop 2: CoreTrustSeal Support: CESSDA Common Evidence

Speakers: Mari Kleemola (FSD), Hervé L'Hours (UK Data Service), Maaike Verburg, (DANS), Ami Saji (Progedo)

The second workshop, titled CoreTrustSeal Support: CESSDA Common Evidence, focused on trust and certification. Participants discussed how CESSDA’s shared resources, including guidance, standards, and policies, can support repositories applying for CoreTrustSeal certification. The session also explored lessons learned from previous applications and how tools such as the FIDELIS Transparent Trustworthy Repository Attributes Matrix can help make certification processes more coherent and manageable.

CESSDA Executive Director Bonnie Wolff-Boenisch. 

Workshop 3: Advancing Access to Sensitive Data within CESSDA

Speakers: Brian Kleiner (FORS) and Deborah Wiltshire (GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany)

In the afternoon, attention turned to sensitive data access. The workshop Advancing Access to Sensitive Data within CESSDA explored how stronger coordination can support secure data sharing, federated analysis, and the development of Trusted Research Environments. Drawing on insights from a community-wide survey, the discussion highlighted both current challenges and promising practices for managing sensitive and emerging data types.

Workshop 4: CESSDA Dataverse: Multilingual Dataverse Services: Models, Solutions, and Workarounds

Speakers: Lars Kaczmirek, (AUSSDA) and Lorenz Makula (University of Vienna)

The fourth workshop of the day was on multilingual Dataverse services, where participants considered models, solutions, and workarounds for supporting diverse user communities. Discussions focused on the trade-offs between scalability, maintainability, sustainability, and upgrade safety when implementing multilingual metadata and interfaces.

Mari Kleemola and Tuomas J. Alaterä (FSD). 

Workshop 5: Data Citation and Tracking: Practical Solutions for CESSDA

Speakers: Tuomas J. Alaterä (FSD), André Jernung (SND), Farah Karim (GESIS), and Lisa Tveit Sandberg (Sikt)

The final workshop of the day, Data Citation and Tracking: Practical Solutions for CESSDA, addressed the importance of consistent data citation practices. Speakers and participants discussed how the CESSDA Data Citation Guide can support institutional policies, workflows, metadata, and community engagement, while also exploring technical approaches for improving the tracking of data citation and reuse. 

Bonnie and Lorraine Wong, Senior Science Officer at CESSDA ERIC. 

Together, the sessions on Day 1 showed the breadth of work taking place across the CESSDA community. From standards and certification to sensitive data, multilingual access, and citation practices, the discussions underlined the value of shared knowledge, practical guidance, and continued collaboration.

The conference continues tomorrow with workshops on AI and opportunities for participants to exchange experiences, strengthen connections, and contribute to the development of CESSDA’s services and community.

Photographing the conference is a joint event between CESSDA ERIC and UK Data Service.
Photos will be made available after the conference, or upon request to CESSDA communications officer: einar.tobias.grude@cessda.eu