As part of the Dutch Design programme of iSchool Netherlands, a group of students from the University of Washington visited DANS. During an interactive session led by Andrea Scharnhorst, Senior Researcher at DANS, they were introduced to data management practices in the Netherlands and across Europe. The students were particularly interested in DANS’s activities and how European data infrastructures are structured.
The presentation included explanations about European collaborations such as ERIC, the role of DANS as a data archive, and the challenges surrounding data management and open science. They received a comprehensive overview of ongoing projects involving DANS and its strategic position within the European research landscape.
Notable new insights
It was surprising for many students to learn that data encompasses much more than just text files. One student remarked on “the challenges with making data accessible, because we often think about data as text files that can be machine-readable, but never considered sound and video.” Other notable insights included the relationship between EU legislation and national policies, and the absence of certain historical.
“We appreciated your collaborative mindset and your willingness to include us in important conversations”
The open discussions and attention to students’ questions were highly appreciated. Key themes included the importance of collaboration, accessible and reusable data, and the responsible use of AI within research infrastructures. The insights gained from the visit are expected to help foster greater connection and knowledge-sharing in practice, both nationally and internationally.
