CaSDaR

CaSDaR's Hybrid Data Steward Conference 2026
2026-11-17 10:00 - 2026-11-18 15:00 UTC | The Midland Hotel, 16 Peter Street, Manchester, M60 2DS, United Kingdom
Overview
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!
Who should attend and why?
This conference is suitable for people who are interested in Data Stewardship, practitioners such as librarians, archivists, technicians, researchers who are interested in moving into the role, and decision makers who are interested in how they can support the development of Data Stewardship at their organisation. 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.
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 Kelefea (Risk Management Toolkit for Open GLAMs))
14.55 – 15:15 Coffee break, networking & posters
15:15 – 15:35 Managing the future: transitioning an association to a company
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 Dikigli (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

Travel to the Venue
The Midland Hotel is located on Peter Street in Central Manchester, approximately half a mile from Manchester Piccadilly train station, postcode M60 2DS and What3Words ///obey.froth.forest
There is a free metrosuttle that links up major attractions in the city centre; for more information see here.
The hotel has an accessible entrance with ramps to the left and right of the entrance respectively.
For those arriving by car, parking arrangements can be found here.
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 casdar@soton.ac.uk for more details.
