The Data & Digital Science Community (DaDiSC) recently hosted a two-day Workshop in Bielefeld (March 18–19, 2026), bringing together representatives from nine institutions for an intensive exchange. The aim of the meeting was to further develop key topics from the 2025 position paper and to define specific areas of focus for 2026.
Building on the successful publication of the first position paper and the groundwork laid last year for the association’s founding, this meeting focused specifically on two key areas: data and AI literacy, and the digitization of research.
Taking Data & AI Literacy to the Next Level
At the forefront of the agenda was the presentation of a planned international data and AI literacy standard (DAILi Standard, IEEE publication forthcoming), which is being developed by Prof. Dr. Christian Bockermann (AKIS, Bochum), Dr. Katharina Wei? (BiCDaS, Bielefeld), and Dr. Henrike Weinert (DoDaS, Dortmund). The goal is to consolidate existing frameworks and create a common foundation for competency development.
Discussions revealed that the community is highly interested in applying these findings to specific training and professional development opportunities in the future – for example, through joint programs and formats.
DSC provides perspective on the digitization of research
The DSC played an active role in shaping the session on the digitization of research: DSC Coordinator Dr. Lena Steinmann co-chaired the session alongside Dr. Canan Hastik (IGSD e.V., SODa) and Dr. Martin Semmann (HCDS, Hamburg).
The focus was placed on:
- strategic perspectives for the further development of the community
- possible funding formats and joint grant proposals
- the role of data and digital science structures in future research processes
In doing so, the DSC specifically contributed its experience in building and advancing data-related structures to the discussion.
Another central part of the session involved specific use cases from the participating institutions. In small groups, participants reflected on and presented different working methods, challenges, and the impacts of data-driven infrastructures.
This round of presentations progressed into an intensive exchange regarding the different disciplinary cultures within the community. It became clear that research and teaching are currently undergoing significant changes and that a closer convergence between disciplines is necessary to fully exploit the potential of data-intensive research.
Outlook: Joint Priorities for 2026
The workshop once again demonstrated how important ongoing dialogue within the community is for structurally strengthening data-intensive research and further developing shared perspectives.
This momentum carries forward into the fall, as the community comes together again for a DaDiSC workshop at the Informatik Festival 2026. Here, we will continue our work and welcome new voices. Interested parties are invited to contribute their own ideas and perspectives. Further information, deadlines, and the call for participation can be found on the website: https://dadisc.org/informatikfestival2026.
We would like to thank Dr. Katharina Wei? and the team in Bielefeld for organizing the event, and look forward to the next meeting in Kiel in the coming year.
Additional Links:
Data & Digital Science Community (DaDiSC) Website: Dadisc.org (Available in German only)
DaDiSC Position Paper (Zenodo): https://zenodo.org/records/17475528 (Available in German only)
For questions, please contact:
Dr. Lena Steinmann
DSC Coordinator
Tel. +49 (421) 218 - 63941
E-Mail: lena.steinmannprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de
