CaSDaR's Hybrid Data Steward Conference 2026
About this Event
This hybrid conference organised by Careers and Skills for Data-driven Research (CaSDaR) brings together the growing data stewardship community to share progress, showcase impact, and shape the next phase of activity. This event is fully hybrid, so all sessions will be available online and in-person at The Midland Hotel, Manchester
As the volume and complexity of research data continues to increase, the need for skilled Data Stewards remains critical. Over the past year, CaSDaR has been working to strengthen recognition of the role, support professional development, and build a connected UK-wide community. This residential conference provides an opportunity to reflect on progress and contribute to what comes next.
Day one will focus on data stewardship in practice whereas Day two will highlight CaSDaR's activities to date and allow delegates to have an impact in CaSDaR’s future plans and deliverables through engaging in parallel breakout sessions. There will of course also be the opportunity to meet Cassie and grab some of her swag!
Attendance at CaSDaR's conference will promote:
- Networking - this is crucial in Data Stewardship roles where often the responsibilities are dispersed across roles or concentrated in one individual without a clear remit;
- Knowledge exchange - day one of the conference is highlighting disciplinary and organisational expamples of best practice in Data Stewardship; attendance will allow individuals to discuss these examples in more detail and make connections to support personal and organisational development;
- Share the results of any work - we are accepting applications to present your work as either a lightning talk or a poster;
- Understanding the funding landscape - in November 2025, CaSDAR released its first round of funding. Throughout this conference, we will share information about this process as well as invite talks from successful applicants in preparation for the release of the second round of CaSDaR's funding; and
- Informing the future directions of CaSDaR - day two of the conference will involve five parallel hybrid breakout session to inform the future direction of CaSDaR in the areas of its key deliverables. Engaging in these will allow individuals to influence the outcomes of these sessions and shape the future of CaSDaR.
Lightning talks and poster presentations
We are keen to showcase the ongoing work of people involved in Data Stewardship so we would like to encourage people to apply to give a lightning talk or a poster on day one of the conference (17th November 2026). Fill in this form to apply to present a lightning talk and fill in this form to apply to present a poster. The deadline to register to present a lightning talk or a poster is the 19th October 2026 with final decisions released on the 23rd October 2026.
A fuller agenda is provided below and on our website.
Bursaries
If you would be interested in applying for bursaries to cover the costs of travel and accommodation, then please fill out this form. Our bursaries were undersubscribed last year and we are really keen to support attendance of practitioners, such as librarians, archivists, data managers, and technical staff. We will handle all of the administration of booking - all you need to let us know are your requirements. The deadline for applications is the 26th October 2026.
Full Agenda
Day One: 17th November 2026, The Midland Hotel and online
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee & registration
11:00 - 11:10 Housekeeping & introduction to CaSDaR
11:10 - 11.55 Keynote - Mijke Jetten (Health RI)
11.55-12.15 Part 1: Changes in Data Stewardship across organisations and disciplines (Slava Tykhonov (CoData))
12:15 - 12:35 Poster presentations
12:35 - 13:35 Lunch, networking & posters
13:35 - 14.55 Part 2: Changes in Data Stewardship across organisations and disciplines (Ramiro Bravo (University of Manchester), Rob Cubey (RBG Edinburgh), Ilkay Holt and Revekka Kefalea (Risk Management Toolkit for Open GLAMs), Ben Thomas (HDRUK))
14.55 - 15:15 Coffee break, networking & posters
15:15 - 15:35 Managing the future: assessing the roles of associations in the Higher Education landscape – UKRN representative
15:35 - 16:35 Lightning talks
16:35 - 16.50 Wrap up
16.50-17.30 Check-in for overnight stays
17:30 - 20:30 Drinks Reception & Dinner
Day Two: 18th November 2026, The Midland Hotel and online
09:00 - 09:30 Coffee + pastries
09:30 - 09:40 Welcome back & housekeeping
09:40 - 10:00 Analysis of the first funding call
10:00 - 11:00 Presentations from the 70K projects (Duygu Dikicioglu (UCL), Linus Chirchir (Research Data Scotland), Noam Tal-Perry and Clair Castle (University of Cambridge), Deena Mobbs (UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology))
11:00 - 11:30 Coffee break, networking & posters
11:30 - 12:00 Panel from the 5K projects: Representatives from Queen's University Belfast, University of Warwick, University of York, University of Salford, University of Cambridge
12:00 - 12:15 Introducing breakout sessions
12:15 - 13:15 Lunch, networking & posters
13:15 - 14.45 Parallel breakout sessions to inform the future of CaSDaR
14.45 - 15.00 Closing Remarks
About CaSDaR
The Careers and Skills for Data driven Research (CaSDaR) initiative is a 4-year UKRI funded project which aims to to define the role of Data Stewards within the UK research landscape and advocate for their recognition and representation across organisations.
We plan to complete these goals by connecting existing networks that support and elevate Data Stewardship in the UK, coordinate with international networks to ensure that activities for Data Stewards in the UK remains in line with global progress in this area, and to provide funding for case studies that demonstrate the crucial role that Data Stewards play in the continued development of the UK research ecosystem.
If you would like to hear more then please check our website, join the CaSDaR mailing list to keep up to date, follow us on LinkedIn, and email [email protected] for more details.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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