Discussion panel: Data are plural, so are data stewards!

For longtime members of IASSIST, the annual conference has been a chance to overcome the isolation of doing data support in siloed institutions. Here, we look to the innovative European model of data stewardship: organised networks of trained stewards across institutions and infrastructures, based in competence centres or distributed by discipline, to guide researchers in making their data FAIR; and importantly, to share expertise and practices amongst data professionals. The geographically diverse, experienced panel is made up of leaders of data stewardship networks in institutions or national initiatives. Social Science Data Archives, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia – representing the Slovenian "SPOZNAJ" project consortium. Delivering training for future data stewards, preparing the Catalogue of competences for data experts, setting up a Data Stewardship network. University of Minho, Portugal – sharing the vision and plans at national level within the ReData.pt network that is establishing the Portuguese RDM support network alongside the RDM capacity hub, including the experience of Portuguese RDM Forum informal network and the University of Minho RDM and Open Data support services office. KU Leuven, Belgium – sharing insights from the data stewardship network at KU Leuven and the Flemish Research Data Network Knowledge Hub—a self-learning community of data stewards in Belgium’s Flemish region. Robin Rice (moderator)University of EdinburghUnited Kingdom Sonja BezjakSocial Science Data Archives, University of LjubljanaSlovenia Irena Vipavc BrvarSocial Science Data Archives, University of LjubljanaSlovenia Naeem MuhammadKU LeuvenBelgium Pedro PríncipeUniversity of Minho Documentation and Libraries ServicesPortugal