The National Conference Highlighted Milestones and Challenges on the Path to Effective Research Data Management

The conference was opened by Luděk Matyska and Jan Hrušák, leading figures of the EOSC CZ initiative. Luděk Matyska emphasised the importance of proper data management:"If you have data and don’t know how to manage it, then EOSC is just a fairy tale." Jan Hrušák highlighted the importance of collaboration: "Extensive collaboration is key to realising EOSC. The Czech Republic is fully aligned with EU developments and is considered a model in many respects. Only through joint work at both the national and international levels can we create an environment that accelerates scientific discoveries and supports open science." Matej Antol described the development of the Czech initiative in building the national repository and promoting FAIR data principles.

Petra Černohlávková from the National Technical Library presented the importanceof libraries, library staff, and open science methodologies in the context of scienceand research and the EOSC initiative as a whole. She also called for more support for new professions, such as data stewards: "I evaluate the conference as successful and inspiring.For me, it was particularly valuable in confirming current trends and sharing practical experiences. The role of data stewards is crucial for libraries, and we need more fundingand training for them."

A foreign perspective was brought by Oliver Koepler, representative of the German initiative NFDI (National Research Data Infrastructure), who shared valuable experiences in building the national data infrastructure in Germany. His contribution emphasised the importance of sharing knowledge across countries and drawing inspiration from proven approaches.

The afternoon session focused on the National Repository Platform (NRP). Marek Cebecauer introduced the concept of the Data Driven Research (DDR) system and the automated metadata collection that aims to ease researchers' work. Michal Růžička clarified the ecosystem of NRP services supporting all stages of the research data lifecycle.

Dagmar Hanzlíková and Pavlína Tassanyi presented the activities of the EOSC CZ Training Centre, including the preparation of the FAIR Handbook for Data Stewards, which will be published in 2025. They also announced the date and location of the upcoming EOSC Tripartite Conference, which will focus on connecting the Czech and European data infrastructures. The conference will take place in May 2025 in Brno.

The conference concluded with a panel discussion where invited experts discussed the future of open science and data support in the Czech Republic. The secretary of the EOSC CZ initiative, Michaela Capandová, moderated the entire conference and praised its interactive format: "The event was dynamic, with questions from the audience and the online Zoom platform contributing to an open discussion reflecting the current challenges and needsof the expert community. I believe we managed to cover most of the important topics."

The National Conference once again confirmed the significance of EOSC CZ and provideda space for sharing experiences and connecting the communities involved in the digitalization of science in the Czech Republic. "The event raised awareness of the benefitsof open science across disciplines and outlined the prerequisites for developing a cultureof openness, international collaboration, and better-equipping researchers with the tools and knowledge necessary for the effective adoption of these principles," praised Manali Das, data steward at the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice.

Photo: Josef Krčil