eResearch Newsletter June 2025

Dear <<First Name>>, here is the Australasian eResearch Newsletter.

Australasian eResearch Newsletter - June 2025

Message from AeRO:

eResearch Australasia Conference: we are delighted to report that when submissions for the conference closed on 6-Jun-25, we have received a large number of high-quality submissions – once again, the Program Committee will have a difficult time selecting papers for acceptance, based on the fine work that the Reviewer Panel is undertaking. So we are assured of a full and enthralling Conference in October (see https://conference.eresearch.edu.au/).

Forum: AeRO has planned a Forum on Aligning and Scaling up Research Infrastructure, to be held in Canberra on Wednesday, 9 July (see details in the body of this Newsletter). This is for members and their associates only. If your organisation is not already a member, it can apply to join free of charge if it registers 3 or more delegates to the eResearch Conference in 2024 or 2025. For details, please contact the AeRO President, Luc Betbeder (luc@unsw.edu.au).

Alex Reid, Newsletter Editor.

CONTENTS:

* Self-Service Online Training for Researchers: What Works? 17-Jun.
* Trust and Identity for National Research Infra - Info Session: 18-Jun.
* The Data Movers Lab: Globus and FileSender Clinics: 20-Jun.
* Metagenome Assembled Genomes Hackathon: EOI by 20-Jun.
* Computational Workflow Registry WorkflowHub Session: 24-Jun.
* ARDC Annual Survey 2025: Closes 27-Jun.
* AARNet and Globus Technical Catch-ups: 27-Jun.
* Indigenous Data Governance in Healthcare Datathon – EOI by 29-Jun.
* ResBaz Queensland: 1 to 3-Jul.
* AeRO Forum 2025 — Research Computing Aligned: 9-Jul.
* IDW Conference Program Out / EarlyBird Closes 15-Jul.
* iPRES Conference Registrations Open: 3-Nov.
* Welcoming AAF’s new Deputy CEO.
* The Importance of Persistent Identifiers in the Age of AI.
* Harnessing NCI: Unlocking THREDDS for Scientific Data.
* Research Object Crate Specification Version 1.2 Released.
* Empowering Life Sciences through Carpentries Instructor Training.
* Repurposed Hardware Boosts National Capacity and Powers Innovation.
* QCIF Joins The Carpentries as Silver Member.
* National PID Strategy Benchmarking Toolkit (Consultation Draft).

Self-Service Online Training for Researchers: What Works? 17-Jun

Join the June ARDC National Skills Forum for an engaging session exploring how to make self-service online data skills training resources more effective and accessible. Hear from the ARDC’s Skilled Workforce Development Team as they share key findings from their scan of self-service training resources, including what makes a learning platform more usable and educationally effective.

Two real world examples of excellent resource sites will be discussed by guests.

17 June, 3pm, AEST, Online

More info and to register: https://ardc.edu.au/event/ardc-national-skills-forum-june-2025-self-service-online-training-for-researchers-what-works/.

Trust and Identity for National Research Infrastructure - Information Session: 18-Jun

Join the AAF for an update on how the national research infrastructure community are co-designing a connected and secure digital research ecosystem. Hear the latest on the Australian Trust and Identity Framework for National Research Infrastructure and its common policies, standards and technologies —and how it supports a secure and connected digital research ecosystem.

Wednesday 18 June 2025, 11:00am AEST, Online.

Featuring guest speakers from our incubator partners Prof Wojtek Goscinski – Chief Operating Officer – from the National Imaging Facility (NIF) and Dr Kelsey Druken – Associate Director, Release Management, ACCESS-NRI.

Register now: https://aaf.edu.au/project/trust-and-identity-for-national-research-infrastructure-information-session/.

The Data Movers Lab: Globus and FileSender Clinics: 20-Jun

This is a monthly online session for anyone working with Globus and FileSender to discuss challenges, seek advice, or optimise data transfers.

Participants can join at any time during the session to troubleshoot issues, ask questions, and explore best practices. The AARNet Digital Research Team will be available to share expertise and help users make the most of these data movement tools.

Whether you’re solving a specific problem or looking to improve workflows, this is a great opportunity to connect and learn in a collaborative environment.

Find out more or register at https://aarnet.zoom.us/meeting/register/90YKT9FoQfm6NWG_ZAaAVA.

Join a Metagenome Assembled Genomes Hackathon: EOI by 20-Jun

Australian BioCommons wants to know if you’d like to participate in the ‘Optimising MAGs-building workflows hackathon’ in October. It’s an opportunity to enhance MAGs by building workflows, developing user-friendly training materials, advancing workflow evaluation, or building intelligent computational resource estimation tools.

The event takes place 6-9 Oct 2025. It will run in person in Freiburg, Germany and online. If there is enough interest, BioCommons will organise an in-person event in Australia to overlap with the European event. Please get in touch with Tiff Nelson at tiff@biocommons.org.au by 20th June 2025.

Find out more: https://www.biocommons.org.au/news/mags-hackathon.

Computational Workflow Registry WorkflowHub Co-Working Session: 24-Jun

A new paper in Nature Scientific Data describes a public and inclusive registry dedicated specifically to the sharing of computational workflows: WorkflowHub. Australian BioCommons’ Johan Gustafsson is the lead author of a stellar group of international experts who have worked hard to realise their shared vision for a unified registry for all computational workflows.

Read the story behind the paper: https://www.biocommons.org.au/news/workflowhub-paper.

Join our upcoming co-working session on 24 June to try it out for yourself: https://www.biocommons.org.au/events/findable-workflows-2025.

1:00 pm 2:30 pm, AEST, Tuesday 24 June 2025.

ARDC Annual Survey 2025: Closes 27-Jun

Do you use ARDC services? Do you work with ARDC? Please take the anonymous, 5-minute annual survey – closes 27 June. Your Feedback Matters!

The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) invites the Australian research community to take a short survey about your interaction with the ARDC and use of our national research infrastructure and services.

We will use the information you provide to improve the services we deliver and report on user satisfaction to the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program.

More info and to take the Survey: https://ardc.edu.au/article/your-feedback-matters-ardc-annual-survey-2025/.

AARNet and Globus Technical Catch-ups: 27-Jun

AARNet is hosting Globus technical sessions to help researchers learn more about Globus and discuss technical challenges or issues related to data movement or their Globus service.

Globus is a fast, reliable, and secure data transfer service available to the Australian research community via AARNet. These sessions are open to all researchers, with AARNet and Globus experts on hand to offer guidance and support.

Find out more or register your interest at: https://aarnet.edu.au/aarnet-globus-technical-catch-ups.

Applying Indigenous Data Governance to Healthcare Datathon – EOI by 29-Jun

The Datathon is a unique opportunity for participants to contribute to meaningful, ethically grounded work, while developing skills aligned with the CARE Principles of Indigenous Data Governance. It is being run by the Indigenous Data Network (University of Melbourne), ANZICS, AIHW, QUT Centre for Data Science, and ATSICHS-Brisbane. The ARDC is proud to sponsor this. It is a co-located event with International Data Week 2025, and will be held on 11 and 12 October.

To learn more and to be part of this free, in-person event, go to: https://ardc.edu.au/event/indigenous-datathon-2025-applying-indigenous-data-governance-to-healthcare/. Please submit your EOI by 29 June 2025.

ResBaz Queensland: 1 to 3-Jul

ResBaz isn’t your typical conference; it’s a vibrant, three-day digital research training festival where researchers from all disciplines come together to learn, share, and connect.

This year, expect a packed schedule of hands-on workshops, lightning talks, discussion sessions, networking, and social activities. Whether you're working in health sciences, computing, machine learning, AI, or beyond, there’s something for everyone, with nearly 50 topics on the latest digital research tools and techniques.

1 to 3 July, University of the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay Campus.

For more info and to register: https://resbaz.github.io/resbaz2025qld/.

AeRO Forum 2025 — Research Computing Aligned: 9-Jul

Members of AeRO organisations, together with their partners and collaborators, are invited to attend this free Workshop in Canberra on 9 July. The Theme is “Research Computing Aligned” – scaling up Australia’s research compute, data and instrument infrastructures.

Program highlights:

Keynotes from the demand side calling on landmark investments in digital infrastructures.
Short updates from the supply side from sector (NDRI) and AeRO members.
A moderated session on “imagining the next steps for integrated access to different tiers of computing capability and shared data.”
Sector networking.

This is a by-invitation event, with 2 attendees per member. AeRO members have been given registration details. If you are not already a member of AeRO, see the Editorial of this Newsletter.

If you have any questions about this Forum please contact AeRO President Luc Betbeder (luc@unsw.edu.au).

International Data Week Conference Program Out / EarlyBird Closes 15-Jul

We’re excited to announce that the full program for IDW 2025 is now live! Explore the schedule, discover our line-up of speakers, and start planning your sessions. See https://idw2025.org/program-at-a-glance/.

However, EarlyBird Registration close soon, so don’t miss your chance to save! Secure your spot at IDW 2025 before 15 July to take advantage of discounted pricing. Register now and join us for an unforgettable event!

For more information or to register, visit: https://idw2025.org/registration/.

iPRES Conference Registrations Open: 3-Nov

The 21st iPRES conference (the 21st International Conference on Digital Preservation) is hosted by Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa National Library of New Zealand and Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga Archives New Zealand in Wellington from 3-7 November 2025.

Early bird registration for iPRES 2025 is now open! To register, go to https://www.ipres2025.nz/register.

Join us in-person at Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre, or virtually and experience our online programming.

By attending in person, you will get a chance to experience Wellington’s vibrant culture and community, with professional visits on Friday 7 November.

More details: https://www.ipres2025.nz/.

Welcoming AAF’s new Deputy CEO

The AAF welcomes Margie Jantti as the newly appointed Deputy CEO. A highly experienced change agent with a track record for innovation, advocacy and digital transformation, she will be a key member of the leadership team and integral to advancing AAF’s strategic plan.

Find out more at: https://aaf.edu.au/project/welcoming-our-new-deputy-ceo/.

The Importance of Persistent Identifiers in the Age of AI

As AI continues to evolve rapidly, knowing and trusting the source of information is more important than ever. Persistent Identifiers (PIDs) play a critical role in modern research by ensuring the provenance, discoverability, and traceability of scientific outputs. From researchers and datasets to software and institutions, PIDs provide clear, reliable identification across the research ecosystem.

Read more at: https://aaf.edu.au/the-importance-of-persistent-identifiers-in-the-age-of-ai/.

Harnessing NCI: Unlocking the Potential of THREDDS for Scientific Data

Harris Hudson has used NCI’s supercomputing power to enhance access and visualisation of large environmental datasets via the THREDDS server. Combining over 30 years’ experience in GIS and spatial data, his work with tools like CFRender and Vista Manifest enables intuitive, web-based visualisations that help researchers, and the public better understand climate and environmental data.

More info: https://nci.org.au/news-events/news/harnessing-ncis-supercomputing-resources-unlocking-potential-thredds-scientific?mc_cid=ce8944423b&mc_eid=9824d71e29.

Research Object Crate Specification RO-Crate Version 1.2 Released

This release culminates a large collaborative effort by the Research Object Crate (RO-Crate) community, and constitutes a stable long-term release.

Key highlights of this release can be seen at: https://w3id.org/ro/crate/1.2

The release was approved by the new Steering Committee, which follows the Minimal Viable Governance model, with a mission to write, maintain and release versions of the specification and website, as well as to advocate RO-Crate use.

RO-Crate is a community effort to establish a lightweight approach to packaging research data with their metadata, and is open for all to contribute or join regional drop-in calls for any questions.

See: https://www.researchobject.org/ro-crate/.

Empowering Life Sciences Researchers through Carpentries Instructor Training

AARNet, the University of Otago, and the University of Canterbury recently collaborated with New Zealand eScience Infrastructure (NeSI) and ARDC to host a global Carpentries Instructor Training workshop (29-Apr to 1-May), providing life sciences researchers with essential coding and data science skills.

Researchers from Australia, New Zealand, and the United States took part to develop their ability to teach digital research skills. The Carpentries is a global initiative focused on building instructional capacity in research communities. The workshop aimed to certify new instructors, promoting inclusive, evidence-based teaching and supporting data-driven research across the region.

More at: https://aarnet.edu.au/empowering-life-sciences-researchers-through-carpentries-instructor-training.

Repurposed Hardware Boosts National Capacity and Powers Innovation

After successfully completing a previous project, QCIF Ltd made available HPC hardware to the Australian BioCommons, giving the hardware a second life in enabling research and uplifting national capacity for the benefit of the scientific community.

Read more: https://www.qcif.edu.au/news/circular-computing%3A-how-recycled-hardware-is-powering-innovation.

QCIF Joins The Carpentries as Silver Member to Boost Data Skills Training

QCIF is proud to announce it has signed a Silver Membership agreement with The Carpentries, a globally recognised organisation dedicated to teaching foundational coding and data science skills to researchers.

Read more: https://www.qcif.edu.au/news/qcif-joins-the-carpentries-as-silver-member-to-boost-data-skills-training-.

National PID Strategy Benchmarking Toolkit (Consultation Draft)

Digital Science is pleased to support the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) in the development of the Australian National Persistent Identifier (PID) Benchmarking Toolkit, released on 12-Jun-25 as a consultation draft.

Commissioned by ARDC as part of its work on the National Persistent Identifier Strategy, the toolkit provides a structured approach to assessing the adoption and maturity of PID infrastructure across Australia’s research ecosystem. It is intended to inform shared planning, highlight areas for improvement, and support long-term progress towards a more connected and interoperable research environment.

For more details, see: https://www.digital-science.com/tldr/article/supporting-australias-pid-strategy/.

The draft can be found on Figshare at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29281667.

Contributions

This newsletter is based on contributions from members of the eResearch community, and draws on news articles and newsletters published across the sector. The Newsletter is published around the 16th of each month. Please send all contributions (max. 100 words + link + image) or pointers to any other relevant articles or newsletters to editor@aero.edu.au.
Newsletter archives are available at http://aero.edu.au/newsletters/.
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Thanks, Alex Reid, AeRO Newsletter Editor.

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