Roles, Practices, and First Steps Towards Building Institutional Capacity
📅 Date: 24 February 2026
🏁 Start: 09:30 h
📍 Location: 2A Knyaz Dondukov Blvd., Sofia 1000 Hall 1–2, 7th floor
🎯 Type: In-Person
🧑🚀 Participants: researchers, policy makers, NGO representatives, librarians, IT professionals
🎤 Working Language: English
🎟️ Resume: This one-day train-the-trainers programme is designed to strengthen research data management and quality (data stewardship) capacity in academic institutions in Bulgaria. It responds to the growing need for skilled professionals who can support Open Science compliance, align institutional practices with European standards, and apply the FAIR principles for sustainable research data management.
The training targets specialists from research-performing organisations, including university staff, librarians, research and innovation officers, IT professionals, and Open Science teams. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the data steward role, relevant legal and ethical frameworks, and practical tools such as Data Management Plans, metadata standards, repositories, and documentation practices.
The programme is interactive and tailored to the Bulgarian academic context, preparing participants to introduce data stewardship within their institutions and to conduct internal training and advisory activities. Participants will receive a certificate and commit to delivering at least one institutional training session.
Participation is free, with limited places. Applications close 10 February 2026, and selected candidates will be notified by 16 February 2026.
Event organised as part of the Pilot Programme for Capacity Building of Higher Education Institutions and Research Organisations in the Creation and Use of Research Data through the Principles of Open, Responsible and Citizen Science, funded by the Ministry of Education and Science and coordinated by the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
Programme
09:45–10:00
Registration and coffee
10:00–10:15
Opening
Prof. Nikolay Vitanov - Deputy Minister of Education and Science (tbc)
10:15–10.30
Participant introductions
Tour-de-table
10:30–12:00
Session 1: Introduction – Research data in practice
• What is data stewardship and the role of the data steward in academic institutions
• Key responsibilities and interactions (Skills4EOSC roles framework)
• European and national context (legal framework, repositories)
• Research data in practice
• Types of research data
• Ethical, legal, and organisational challenges
• Research data lifecycle
• Challenges of institutional practice in Bulgaria
12:00–12:45
Lunch break
12:45–14:00
Session 2: Tools and good practices for research data management and quality
• Researcher skills self-assessment – ORBIT tool
• Data Management Plans (DMPs)
• Metadata and repositories
• Supporting researchers
14:30–14:45
Coffee break
14:45–16:00
Session 3: Introducing data stewardship in institutions
• Minimal institutional model
• First steps and prioritisation
• Developing a short institutional plan
• Training planning
• Useful resources
Closing discussion and next steps
Opportunities for collaboration and community building
Who will deliver the training?
International team:
Magdalena Szuflita-Żurawska, Gdansk University of Technology | Head of the Scientific-Technical Information Services, Open Science Competence Center Leader; | Gdańsk Tech Rector's Plenipotentiary for Open Science
Dr Jordan Iliev, Bulgarian Portal for Open Science
Dr Ana Lazarova, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"
Assos. Prof. Milena Dobreva, Strathclyde University, UK
Prof. Peter Stanchev, Kettering University, Flint, Michigan, USA