Data Steward School

DATA STEWARD SCHOOL 2026 – course in English

1. ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

2. VALUE FOR THE RESEARCH INSTITUTION AND THE UNIVERSITY

3. OBJECTIVES

4. PARTICIPANT’S PROFILE 

The programme is addressed to people starting their activity in the area of research data management, including:

• data stewards and data managers
• administrative employees
• librarians and scientific information specialists
• researchers (all career stages)
• PhD students
• technical workers
• people planning a career in the area of data stewardship.

5. STRUCTURE OF THE DSS 2026 PROGRAMME

Module 1 – Intensive Face-to-Face Course

Number of teaching hours: 54 hours
Date: 6-10 July 2026
Place: Katowice

This module includes range of topics:

• Open science and scientific integrity
• Data lifecycle and research data management
• Research Data Management Plan (DMP): Create, Deploy, Report
• FAIR & CARE standards
• Legal and ethical regulations in the area of research data and AI
• Data repositories
• Persistent identifiers (PIDs)
• Metadata and documentation
• Data quality
• Data modeling
• Digital tools and artificial intelligence at work as data steward
• The role of a data steward in an institution
• EOSC: European Open Science Cloud
• Data processing
• Data storage
• Data archiving
• Data sharing
• Data security
• Research Data Management Training

Optional activities (8 hours of didactic classes, full-time, July 2026)

• meeting with international and national organizations in the field of research data management
• meeting with representatives of research infrastructures,
• meeting with representatives of research data repositories,
• meeting with representatives of the Data Stewards Network

Module 2 – Specialisation

Number of teaching hours: 20 hours (2 x 10h)
Date: October 2026
Online

Participants choose a maximum of two specialisation paths:

• Science and Technology (STEM)
• Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH)
• Natural Sciences (NS)
• Data management in university administration and academic library
• Competences in the management and operation of research data repositories
• Trusted and responsible data management (FAIR-CARE-TRUST)
• Designing and conducting training in the field of research data management (train-the-trainer)

Module 3 – Individual Mentoring Program

Date: October-December 2026
Online/fixed location/hybrid

• the participant chooses a mentor from among DSS experts
• the program is based on individual work with an expert
• the purpose, thematic scope, time and frequency of meetings are the subject of a bilateral agreement

6. EDUCATIONAL METHODOLOGY / DIDACTIC MODEL

The methodological approach focuses on the effectiveness of learning by doing. It assumes a balance between the theoretical and practical components, in a 1:1 ratio of group and individual education. Each 60-minute teaching unit is structured into 30 minutes of the theoretical part (lecture with presentation) and 30 minutes of the practical part (workshops, demonstrations, exercises, role-playing, and a living lab, functioning in the program under the name “data laboratory”).

The theoretical component builds participants’ awareness and knowledge by introducing and briefly explaining key issues and terminology. The practical component is equally important, as it develops skills and competencies through direct application in practice. This approach enables optimal participant development, creating a stable, broad foundation of knowledge in data management and supporting the development of competencies necessary in professional and research environments.

In addition, an individual consultation component has been introduced. Participants who want to discuss issues related to the subject of a given session or deepen the content can take advantage of individual consultations with experts every day. This solution promotes systematic and progressive mastery of the material, allowing for ongoing clarification of doubts, answering questions that arise, and developing participants’ individual interests.

In this way, both individual development and the impact of the entire group, resulting from the commitment and cooperation of individual participants, are supported.

The continuation of the basic programme, including an in-depth domain and administrative approach to research data management and further targeted support for individual development, will be carried out in Module 2: Specialisation and Module 3: Individual Mentoring Program.

The specialisation component will enable participants to develop competencies in selected areas, adapted to the specifics of scientific disciplines and real challenges of administrative and repository work. In turn, the Mentoring Program will provide personalised expert support, enabling the translation of acquired knowledge into specific activities, projects, and solutions implemented in professional practice.

Such a designed development path guarantees not only the deepening of competences but also their permanent embedding in the context of research, strengthening participants’ independence and their ability to effectively manage data within the scientific community.

Forms of education:

• lecture
• presentation
• workshops
• demonstrations
• exercises
• role-playing
• living laboratory
• case studies (research infrastructures)
• use cases
• peer-to-peer learning

7. EXPERTS

The program is implemented by domestic and foreign experts:

• universities
• academic libraries
• data repositories
• Competence Centres
• research infrastructures
• projects and infrastructures implemented under the EOSC.

8. OGANISATION AND LOGISTICS

Module 1: Intensive stationary course: classes will take place at the headquarters of the University of Silesia in Katowice, in the modern space of the SpinPLACE building (Creativity and Coworking Centre).

Optional activities will take place, among others, in the Culture Zone of the City of Katowice.

Module 2: Specialisation: remotely/online on the MS Teams platform

[Description of DSS 2026 modules 1 & 2]

Module 3: Mentoring Program: remotely/online or stationary, depending on the mentor’s choice; study trips in Poland and abroad are also possible.

DSS Language: ENG

For information about DSS 2026 course in Polish click here

9. CERTIFICATION AND MICRO-CREDENTIALS

Participants receive a Data Steward School 2026 certificate of completion issued by the European Open Science School and a micro-credential.