Fireside Chat Interview Series 2026 – Conversations on Sustainable Research Data Management

Base4NFDI is a key part of Germany’s efforts to develop sustainable RDM services and has several activity lines exploring how to provide long-term perspective to its own cross-discipline open science services (infrastructures). The series is co-organised by the Research Data Alliance (RDA) and the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) which builds the essential bridges to the global community on RDM challenges and infrastructures. 

The 45-minute interviews, held by Najla Rettberg, Coordinator of Base4NFDI, will engage with timely topics, for example: 

• Sustainability: Transitioning from project to permanent operating models
• Community Buy-In: Enhancing user engagement and uptake 
• Governance: Finding the right fit when it comes to business models and financing approaches
• Long-Term Impact & Scalability: The role of digital sovereignty and AI

All sessions are open to those who register, they will be recorded, with a comprehensive report of key lessons and summaries to be published afterward.

Dates of the Fireside Interviews: 

28 April 2026 at 14h CEST (12h UTC +2)

18 June 2026 at 10h CEST (8h UTC +2)

Register here: https://uni-goettingen.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uROpjU9FQ_KGM2Wt2Vu2bA#/registration

Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a global dialogue shaping the future of research data management. Register now and join the conversation!
 

Our first conversation on 28 April at 14h CEST (12h UTC +2) will be with Michael Schull, M.D., the CEO of the Canadian Data Alliance. 

About Michael: 

As CEO of the Digital Research Alliance of Canada, Michael leverages his extensive experience in building national and international research and data partnerships, and organizational growth and sustainability to support the establishment of a researcher focused, accountable, agile, strategic and sustainable digital research infrastructure (DRI) ecosystem in Canada.

Michael’s experience and deep knowledge of the research and health ecosystems have been shaped by his 12 years as CEO and Senior Scientist at ICES, Canada’s leading health services research and data analytics institute, as a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto and as a Senior Scientist at Sunnybrook Research Institute. He is also founding member of Health Data Research Network Canada (HDRN), a pan-Canadian network of health data and research centres seeking to facilitate and enable pan-Canadian research, and past co-director of the International Population Data Linkage network.

About the Digital Research Alliance Canada: https://www.alliancecan.ca/en/about 

Rosie Hicks, CEO of the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC), will share her insights in a second fireside chat on 18 June 2026 at 10h CEST (8h UTC +2). 

About Rosie: 

Rosie Hicks is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC). The ARDC is a sector-wide initiative enabled by the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) to provide Australian researchers with competitive advantage through data. The ARDC’s mission is to accelerate research and innovation by driving excellence in the creation, analysis and retention of high-quality data assets. Rosie has expertise and extensive knowledge of the Australian research infrastructure sector, and leadership experience including as the inaugural CEO of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF). Her career, spanning Japan, UK and Australia, includes every aspect of scientific instrumentation from product development and technical marketing to the management of multi-user facilities, working in environments that cross academic and industry domains.

About ARDC: https://ardc.edu.au/