Moving from passive participation to active contribution in the Research Data Alliance (RDA) is not automatic. It requires structure, mentorship, and a clear pathway into the work. To address this, the RDA-US Steering Committee developed the RDA-US 2026 cohort program, pairing motivated participants with experienced mentors, providing structured support, and creating space for engagement and transition into active participation.

The inaugural RDA-US 2026 cohort was selected last month and recently came together in Washington, DC, for the first phase. Within weeks, cohort members were already organizing new RDA sessions, joining Working Groups, and developing proposals for future collaboration. Supported by the Sloan Foundation, the program was designed as a scalable model to strengthen U.S. engagement in the RDA.

About the Program

In our program, each cohort member is paired with an experienced RDA community member who serves as mentor, connector, and guide. Together, they develop a personal engagement plan identifying specific Working Groups (WGs) or Interest Groups (IGs) to join, concrete contributions to make, and a pathway toward sustained involvement beyond the funded period. Cohort members participate in two in-person events: the Washington, DC community gathering in spring 2026 and the RDA 27th Plenary in London in fall 2026, with travel support provided for both.

This has been deliberately designed as a low-overhead, repeatable model. The recruitment process, mentor-matching structure, engagement plan format, and event programming can all be reused or adapted for future cohorts, making it easy to build on what we’ve learned and scale up with additional funding.

A Competitive Applicant Pool

There’s definitely a need for this type of program. When we launched in February, we received more than 50 applications for 14 spots. The quality and diversity of that pool exceeded our expectations. Applicants came from national laboratories, research universities, independent consultancies, academic institutions, and industry. They represented a wide range of disciplines and career stages, and all had already done their homework in identifying specific WGs and IGs they wanted to engage with and describing realistic plans for contribution.

What Happened in DC

During the RDA 26th Virtual Plenary, cohort members gathered in person at the University of California’s Washington DC Center for two days of shared plenary viewing, community discussions, networking, and first-time meetings with their mentors. Day one featured the first public introduction of the cohort, a live polling session on the future of RDA-US, and a panel on PIDs and open infrastructure. On day two, cohort members tuned in to RDA Breakout sessions in the morning and spent the afternoon with their mentors developing their engagement plans.

We truly benefited from strong engagement with partner organizations working across the global research infrastructure landscape. In particular, we thank DataCite for co-locating DataCite Connect with the community gathering, helping to connect cohort members directly with broader efforts around persistent identifiers and open infrastructure.

Early Outcomes

These early signals point to a clear shift from passive interest to active contribution across the cohort:

• All 14 cohort members completed personal engagement plans during the DC gathering, each identifying specific WGs and IGs to join, as well as concrete contributions to make.
• All 14 cohort members were matched with a mentor from the RDA-US Steering Committee, with each mentor working with 2–3 mentees.
• Across the cohort, members collectively identified more than 20 distinct WGs and IGs to engage with, spanning AI and machine learning, persistent identifiers, research data infrastructure, library services, FAIR practices, and data ethics.
• Two cohort members are already drafting a proposal for a birds-of-a-feather session for the London Plenary, focused on metadata standards for AI agents in autonomous science workflows.
• Three other cohort members are exploring AI agent efficacy for interoperable research data use in RDA contexts
• Multiple cohort members have already joined IG/WGs, reached out to group chairs, and begun identifying ways to advance their work and connect their research communities to RDA.

Looking Ahead

Sustained engagement with RDA is a core part of the model, ensuring that participation is not limited to in-person events but continues as active contribution to IG/WG in a global context. Over the coming months, cohort members and mentors will stay engaged through ongoing virtual collaboration, refining their engagement plans, contributing to WGs and IGs, and advancing the ideas and proposals that began in DC. This ongoing work reflects the program’s core goal: supporting a sustained shift from passive participation to active contribution.

The next in-person milestone for the cohort will be the RDA 27th Plenary in London in fall 2026, where cohort members will deepen their involvement, contribute to sessions and discussions, and further strengthen U.S. participation in global data standards and infrastructure development.

2026 RDA-US Cohort

• Elie Alhajjar, RAND
• Winston E. Anthony, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Rohan Anthony, Saint Louis University
• James Cannon, University of Michigan
• Julianne Christopher, San Diego Supercomputer Center, UC San Diego
• Caroline Dinh, GaiaXus
• Olasunkanmi Kehinde, Norfolk State University
• Cory Levinson, Independent Consultant / UC Davis
• Diana McSpadden, Jefferson Lab
• Anna Sackmann, University of California, Berkeley
• Ashley Sands, Johns Hopkins University, Libraries
• Pengyin Shan, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Raymond Uzwyshyn, University of California at Riverside
• Sean Wilkinson, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Cohort Mentors

• Lindsey Anderson, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Becky Grady, California Digital Library
• Steve Diggs, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
• Natalie Meyers, Association of Research Libraries/Coalition for Networked Information
• Rob Quick, University of Kentucky
• Michael Witt, Purdue University

Program Committee

• Lindsey Anderson, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• John Chodacki, California Digital Library
• Steve Diggs, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
• Maria Praetzellis, California Digital Library
• Rob Quick, University of Kentucky
• Natalie Meyers, Association of Research Libraries
• Amy Nurnberger, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Michael Witt, Purdue University

If you are interested in joining or engaging with RDA-US, please Join Us at RDA in the United States regional group. Whether you are new to the RDA or looking to deepen your involvement, there are many ways to contribute!

We are grateful to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for supporting the RDA-US 2026 cohort and making this work possible. We also thank DataCite for co-locating DataCite Connect and supporting the community gathering and reception.

RDA-US is pleased to announce the launch of the RDA-US 2026 Cohort, an exciting opportunity for U.S.-based participants interested in engaging more deeply with the Research Data Alliance (RDA) and leveraging it to advance their work, projects, and international collaborations.

This cohort is designed for people who want to move beyond observing RDA and into active participation, contributing to Working Groups (WGs) and Interest Groups (IGs), building relationships across the global research infrastructure community, and strengthening U.S. engagement within RDA.

Applications are open now and will be reviewed on a rolling basis through February 15, 2026.

What Is the RDA-US 2026 Cohort?

The RDA-US 2026 Cohort is a facilitated engagement program that supports up to 15 US-based participants through structured, in-person participation in two key RDA events:

• Spring 2026: A Washington, DC-based RDA Plenary watch party and RDA-US community convening
• Fall 2026: In-person participation in the RDA Plenary in London

Travel support is provided for both the Washington, DC, and London activities, either through prepaid travel or reimbursement. Participation in both events is required. More info available on our FAQ

Who Should Apply?

The cohort is open to anyone based in the United States who is:

• Interested in RDA and motivated to engage actively
• Looking to use RDA as a platform to further their own work or international collaborations
• Willing to contribute to RDA Working Groups or Interest Groups

You do not need to be an RDA member at the time of application, and prior RDA experience is not required. However, applicants should be familiar enough with RDA to realistically engage with its community and structures. 

Early-career applicants are encouraged, but not required. Participants at other career stages are welcome to apply if they are ready to contribute meaningfully.

What Will Cohort Members Do?

At the heart of the program is the development of a community engagement plan. As part of the cohort, participants will:

• Identify one or more RDA Working Groups or Interest Groups aligned with their interests
• Articulate how they plan to engage and contribute
• Refine that plan through facilitated sessions during the Washington, DC, convening
• Receive support through pairing with experienced RDA community members who can help provide context, introductions, and guidance

This is not a passive training program. Instead, it is designed to help participants learn by doing, engaging directly with RDA work while being supported by a structured community framework and one-on-one discussions with RDA-US Steering Group members.

Why Participate?

The RDA-US 2026 Cohort offers participants:

• Funded access to RDA community gatherings
• Practical experience navigating international research infrastructure communities
• Opportunities to build relationships with WG/IG leaders and contributors
• A pathway to sustained engagement within RDA
• Exposure to global conversations shaping research data and infrastructure

For many participants, this cohort will serve as a bridge, connecting their existing work to the broader international RDA ecosystem.

Community Gathering in Washington, DC

The Spring 2026 convening in Washington, DC, will be held March 17-18 in conjunction with a broader RDA-US community gathering, including shared plenary viewing, an RDA-US session, and social events. Cohort members are required to attend structured program activities during this time, while other portions of the gathering are open to the wider RDA-US community.

See our Save the Date post for more details about the community gathering and open participation.

How to Apply

To apply:

• Complete the application form
• Review the FAQ for full details on eligibility, expectations, and travel support
• Submit your application by February 15, 2026

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and selection is competitive.

Learn More

• Save the Date: RDA-US Community Gathering in Washington, DC
• FAQ: RDA-US 2026 Cohort Program Details
• Apply: RDA-US 2026 Cohort Application Form

If you have questions, you can also connect with the RDA-US community via rda-us.slack.com.

On September 9–10, a dynamic group of data-sharing leaders gathered at Carnegie Mellon University for the RDA-US Futures Meeting. The goal? To talk openly about the future of US-based data-sharing consortiums: how challenge can spark opportunity.

Day 1: Gems, Grit, and Big Ideas

We kicked things off by asking each organization to share their “gems”, that is, the things they’re most proud of:

• RDA-US (Beth Plale): A strong community, a smart communications strategy, and the TIGRUS program.
• OHSL (Anil Srivastava): A passionate team of young, data-driven scientists.
• USNC/CODATA (Bonnie Carroll): The SWORDS international education program in cyberinfrastructure and data science.
• GoFAIR (Christine Kirkpatrick): The RAiD Pilot and GoFAIR’s training network.
• South Big Data Hub (Renata Goss-Rawlings): Building research partnerships and institutional capacity.
• World Data Systems (Meredith Goins): Trusted digital repositories and a thriving early-career researcher network.

Then came some thoughtful reflections:

• Sayeed Choudhury asked us to consider what would be lost if RDA-US were to shut down.
• Amy Nurnberger echoed that concern.
• Hilary Hanahoe proposed a US National Data Week to bring everyone together.
• Maria Praetzellis saw overlap in training efforts and agreed a national event could be a great way to collaborate.
• Natalie Myers emphasized the value of the TIGRUS program—and its larger EU counterpart, TIGER.

The day wrapped up with a clear sense of urgency and purpose. We identified key strategies and action items to help navigate this transitional moment.

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Day 2: Keynotes and Next Steps

Day two began with a keynote from Hilary Hanahoe, who spoke about the importance of regional voices in shaping RDA’s global mission. Sayeed Choudhury followed with a talk on openness—drawing from his experience in open source and, more recently, open AI through the Open Forum for AI.

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What’s Next: Two Task Forces in Motion

Two new task forces are now up and running, moving quickly to shape the future:

1. Transition Team

Charged with developing a plan to advance RDA-US.  In alignment with RDA Global they’ll explore different succession scenarios and consult with sister organizations like CODATA, GoFAIR, WDS, and SBDH. The team will present their plan to the RDA-US Steering Committee in early November.

2. Funding Triage Team

Focused on short-term (bridge) funding to keep RDA-US operations going. They’re drafting a document that outlines RDA-US’s core principles and what’s at stake if it shuts down.  This is seen as something funders can rally behind.

Also of note: Sayeed Choudhary stepped down from the Steering Committee due to a conflict of interest, as he’s now part of the Transition Team. RDA-US operations at Indiana University are set to wind down by the end of 2025.

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Want to Get Involved?

Both teams are welcoming input! If you’re interested in contributing or learning more, reach out to us at rda-us@rda-foundation.org.

You’re invited to join an open session of the RDA-US futures meeting to be held Wednesday, September 10, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Eastern. Research Data Alliance Secretary General Hilary Hanahoe and Sayeed Choudhury, Associate Dean for Digital Infrastructure and Director of Open Source Programs Office (OSPO) at Carnegie Mellon University, will give keynote talks to kick-off day two of the meeting.

Registration is free, but you must register to attend to receive the zoom link.

Wednesday, September 10 | 9:00 – 9:30 a.m. Eastern
Research data management across borders: Working globally to find local solutions.
Hilary Hanahoe, RDA Secretary General

Abstract: As a global organisation with over 15,000 members across 150+ countries, the Research Data Alliance’s strength lies in its ability to connect researchers, policymakers, and infrastructure providers to address research data management and open science challenges in an open and community driven way.
For over 10 years the global Research Data Alliance (RDA) community has been developing and producing recommendations for research data management in disciplinary and organiza-tional contexts. This presentation will highlight the value and impact of developing standards and best practices on an international scale and implementing them at a local and / or disciplinary level.

Wednesday, September 10 | 9:30 – 10:00 a.m. Eastern
Open source as a pathway to partnerships.
Sayeed Choudhury, Carnegie Mellon University

Abstract: Open source software has generated economic value and reduced production costs through partnerships that span different sectors. While open source software began in universities, it’s only recently that universities have launched open source programs offices (OSPOs) to act as centers of competency and community conveners. The Community of University and Research Institution OSPOs (CURIOSS) is a network of partners working collectively to support and advance open source software. At Carnegie Mellon University, the OSPO led the launch of the Open Forum for AI to foster human centered AI, embracing openness as a design principle. Both CURIOSS and OFAI showcase how open source can act as a collective mechanism for coalitions or partnerships, with lessons that may be relevant for data collectives or organizations.

The second day of the US 10 year RDA celebration event in May 2023 brought together the RDA-US community to shape RDA-US moving forward. The feedback was overwhelmingly supportive for continuing a US-based community.  We announced a newly envisioned RDA-US in Oct 2023 at the Research Data Alliance (RDA) Plenary 20 in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is time again for the RDA-US community to reenvision what works and what does not. We invite you to help us shape the future of RDA-US.

The RDA-US strategic plan over the last couple of years has been to advance responsible data sharing and open science and scholarship in the U.S.  As your RDA-US program office, we serve as the official partner with global RDA representing the U.S. region, while advocating for and advancing solutions along three objectives: 

• Foster the RDA-US community 
• Aid US efforts in RDA through TIGRUS program
• Develop a voice in US to further US objectives in open science

Through this vision we have collectively realized substantial accomplishments by bringing together the community and leveraging RDA to progress the state of data (and software) sharing in the US. I see considerable opportunity for the RDA-US community to continue to engage in issues that matter, and to bring the mighty corpus of cross-continent RDA recommendations to bear on problems of relevance in the U.S.

While the RDA-US community is strong, national and state fiscal pressures in the U.S. have made it impossible for IU to continue to underwrite RDA-US beyond the end of Phase I (Dec 2025). RDA-US is thus seeking interest by an individual or group to take over managing RDA-US community engagement and the relationship with RDA. The TIGRUS (Targeted International working GRoups US) program will no longer continue either – its name and logo are available for use in a subsequent program. 

Between now and the end of the calendar year, the RDA-US program office will continue to monitor the national landscape, engage with the RDA global organization, facilitate community interaction, and engage in ongoing commitments.  We are additionally, in cooperation with the RDA-US Steering Committee, arranging a small group, 1.5 day workshop sometime in the first couple weeks of September 2025. We anticipate the workshop to be held at Carnegie Mellon University and have 15 people in attendance. Those in attendance will have interest and ability to help RDA-US move forward. Please reach out to us on our Slack channel or email us at rda-us@rda-foundation.org to share your interest in joining us at the workshop.

Warmest regards,
Beth Plale
RDA-US Executive Director

June 10, 2024

Research Data Alliance – United States is pleased to give its unqualified endorsement¹ to the report Developing a US National PID Strategy (https://zenodo.org/records/10811008), released in March 2024. The report outlines the benefits of Persistent IDs, their associated metadata, and the systems that connect them. Its objective is to advance open scholarship goals in the United States and achieve that objective through guidance to US stakeholders on the effective use of PIDs for connecting and tracking research in the context of the research ecosystem.

The RDA-US steering committee lauded the report’s significant relevance for PID adoption in the United States. The report aligns well with the RDA-US organization’s mission to advance open science and scholarship in the US. RDA-US endorsement principles state that a document meets the criteria for endorsement if it is a definitive work on the topic. It was noted that the PID Strategy document is titled “Developing a US National PID Strategy” suggesting an evolving nature that could be considered non-definitive. Still, the committee felt the work was a significant enough entry into a national conversation on PIDs to warrant RDA-US endorsement.

We offer several observations made by the RDA-US committee and community for future improvements to the strategy. RDA-US principles state that its actions are unbiased in societal benefit. As such, we recommend that the principles of CARE and TRUST be reflected in future versions of the report; and further suggest avoidance of any impression of favor towards private sector options. Finally, it was noted that there are multiple solutions for PIDs for research software including DOIs and Software Heritage IDs (SWHIDS).

¹RDA-US Endorsement Process: https://rda-us.org/rda-us-endorsement/

Link to PDF of Endorsement.

The Research Data Alliance’s 22nd Plenary meeting (VP22) took place as a fully virtual event. Organized by the RDA Secretariat, VP22 was held for half-days spread across two weeks, between 14-23 May 2024.

With the theme “Local Action – Global Connection”, which also aligns with the four themes of RDA’s Strategic Plan, the plenary focused on collaboration and engagement with our global community through the sharing of local experiences, best practices and recommendations.

To make VP22 a truly global event, RDA invited Regional RDA Partners (RDA in the Americas, RDA Europe and RDA Oceania) to host plenary sessions and Office Hours to highlight their work. As well as sharing regional updates, the sessions gave attendees the chance to network with experts from their region and discover how they can get involved, identifying synergies across nations and continents.

The RDA-US Program Office collaborated with Digital Research Alliance of Canada / RDA Canada to host the session Engagement in the Americas. This session opened with region updates including ways for RDA members to become involved within their respective region, but also across regions. Drawing on local communities, the session included area experts on topics of mutual interest to both regions. The session closed with open discussion between multiple regions with the goal of identifying synergies that could lead to potential collaborative opportunities.

Speakers included:

• Lee Wilson, Director of Research Data Management, Digital Research Alliance of Canada
• Beth Plale, Executive Director, Research Data Alliance – US
• Fares Dhane, Data analyst, Digital Research Alliance of Canada
• Rob Quick, TIGRUS Program Manager, Research Data Alliance – US (TIGRUS)
• CJ Woodford, Project Manager, Digital Research Alliance of Canada, (Global Open Research Commons (GORC) Working Group in RDA)
• Yolanda Meleco, Research Data Alliance – US
• Robert Ping, Program Manager, Research Data Alliance – US (moderator)

The discussion after presentations included RDA members from many different regions, countries, and institutions:

• Research Software Alliance, Digital Research Alliance of Canada, Canadian Research Data Centre Network (CRDCN), and folks from Ontario, Nova Scotia, Montreal in Canada.
• Indiana University Pervasive Technology Institute, Columbia University, University of Virginia, Washington University in St. Louis, American Geophysical Union, Figshare, George Mason University, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Purdue University, Boston, Global Sustainability Coalition for Open Science Services (SCOSS), California Digital Library (CDL), Center for International Earth Science Information Network – Columbia University (CIESIN) in the United States.
• Attendees from Chili, France, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Switzerland, Scotland, United Kingdom, Peru, Italy, Greece, and Costa Rica.

RDA-US also participated in a joint session with Research Data Alliance facilitation of Targeted International working Groups for EOSC-related Research solutions (RDA TIGER) to talk about the new Targeted International working Group US (TIGER) facilitation program.

During this joint TIGER/TIGRUS session the EU and US offices presented the TIGER/TIGRUS facilitation services and the value they bring to the RDA community. Invited TIGER-supported working groups (WGs) provided their experiences with TIGER and how it has helped them achieve their goals.

The session included a survey of attendees, presentations by both facilitation programs and the RDA directorate, and a lively question/answer session.

Speakers included:

• Connie Clare, Community Development Manager, Research Data Alliance
• Robert Ping, Program Manager, RDA-US, Indiana University Pervasive Technology Institute
• Ryan O’Connor, Senior Facilitator, RDA TIGER, Research Data Alliance Association AISBL
• Matti Heikkurinen, Research Project Portfolio Manager, Research Data Alliance Association AISBL
• Alexandra Delipalta, Director of Operations, RDA Europe (moderator)

The final session RDA-US hosted was RDA-US Office Hours. Attendees connected with the RDA-US program office to ask questions or learn more about RDA-US initiatives. It opened with a short presentation about RDA-US and the TIGRUS (Targeted International working Groups US) facilitation program and a rousing discussion followed.

In addition to Indiana University, attendees represented Rutgers University, NIST, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Washington University in St. Louis, Carnegie Mellon, Figshare, IRI – Columbia University, Research Space, UCOP / CDL (UC3), and Stanford.

The RDA-US organization will on occasion put its collective voice behind a work product by giving it RDA-US endorsement. RDA-US applies the guidance contained herein as it considers a product for endorsement. RDA-US may endorse an RDA work product (an “RDA Recommendation”) as is applied in a situation; it will not endorse the RDA Recommendation itself.

Endorsement occurs when a work product is approved by two-thirds majority of the RDA-US Steering Committee who actively cast votes. Vote categories are (yes/no/abstain); abstentions must be justified. Per RDA-US’ organization chart, the RDA-US Steering Committee (SC) includes program officers and steering committee members; these members make up the voting body.

RDA-US will not retract a previous endorsement, but as the research data environment in which RDA-US operates changes over time, RDA-US reserves the right to endorse a work product that appears to directly conflict with an earlier endorsed work product. In these cases, RDA-US will issue a clarifying statement.

RDA-US endorses work products that meet the following criteria:

• Aligns with values of the organization (RDA-US)
• Has strong US relevance
• Has clearly articulated principles
• Is a definitive written work on a topic
• Is unbiased in its societal benefit

Endorsement process:

1. RDA-US Program Office confirms with agents of the endorsement (authors) their support for the request for RDA-US endorsement.
2. Public announcement is made of input period (approximately 1 month in duration) wherein RDA-US seeks input from the RDA US community.
3. RDA-US endorsement may be accompanied by an RDA-US statement providing context, support, “important going forward” details and other matters related to its discussion. This endorsement supplement should not in any way be interpreted as a qualifying of (weakening of) the endorsement.
4. Upon RDA-US endorsement and release of any accompanying statement, RDA-US registers endorsement on RDA-US web page and promotes in RDA communication channels.
5. The organization or group who authored the endorsed document: Records RDA-US endorsement in a document if possible and in related communications; endorsement should include the RDA-US logo (available here) and the following:

• Officially endorsed by:
• Research Data Alliance – US
• Bloomington, IN United States
• https://www.rd-alliance.org/groups/rda-us

The endorsement process described above may be reassessed and modified to reflect the evolution of the RDA-US needs. It is the goal of the RDA-US not to confuse this endorsement process with the process of the global RDA. RDA-US will reassess this process on a bi-yearly schedule.

View the most recent version of the endorsement process.

The RDA-US Targeted International working GRoup Facilitation Program (TIGRUS) recently announced the first two RDA Working Groups (WG) it will be facilitating as part of its pilot: the National PID Strategies WG and the Common Standard for Machine-actionable Data Management Plans WG.

With the National PID Strategies WG, TIGRUS will liaise with group co-chairs Todd Carpenter (National Information Standards Organization) and John Chodacki (California Digital Library, University of California Office of the President) in developing a national PID strategy for the United States (US) by applying the Group’s RDA National PID Strategies Guide and Checklist and case studies, as well as guidelines published in the March 2024 report titled “Developing a US National PID Strategy”.

With the Common Standard for Machine-actionable Data Management Plans WG, TIGRUS will collaborate with Maria Praetzellis, Associate Director, and others from the California Digital Library (CDL) to advance the application profile developed by the Group as well as the DMPTool created at the CDL within the US.

TIGRUS, launched earlier this year, assists the RDA-US community in tackling data challenges specific to the United States and amplifying results that are achieved through RDA in collaboration efforts with the international RDA community.

RDA-US and TIGRUS is supported by Indiana University’s (IU) Pervasive Technology Institute (PTI). PTI is IU’s flagship organization for research and development in cyberinfrastructure, informatics, and computer science in support of science and engineering research, scholarship, and cybersecurity.

RDA-US and TIGRUS is supported by Indiana University’s (IU) Pervasive Technology Institute (PTI). PTI, is IU’s flagship organization for research and development in cyberinfrastructure, informatics, and computer science in support of science and engineering research, scholarship, and cybersecurity.

To learn more contact TIGRUS program manager, Rob Quick, or the RDA-US Program Manager, Robert Ping.