Call for Proposals

RDAP Summit 2026
Practical, Personalized, Impactful: Research Data in the Real World

Our Summit theme, “Practical, Personalized, Impactful: Research Data in the Real World,” celebrates the nuanced work of research data professionals who transform idealistic visions into responsive, community-centered services. We recognize that effective data management isn’t about universal solutions, but about deeply understanding and adapting to the specific needs of diverse research communities.

This year, we’re inviting presentations that illuminate the day-to-day realities of research data services – how do teams bridge the gap between initial conceptual frameworks and actual researcher requirements? How do we design flexible, scalable approaches that honor the unique contexts of different disciplines, institutions, and research cultures?

We want to hear stories of practical innovation – how data professionals have listened to their users, iterated on services, and created meaningful, tailored support. The focus is on real-world implementation: the strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, and collaborative approaches that make research data services genuinely useful and impactful.

Our goal is to showcase how personalized, adaptive strategies can transform research data infrastructure from a theoretical ideal to a dynamic, responsive ecosystem that truly services researchers’ evolving needs. Presenters are invited to think about how they are reshaping existing research data practices, systems, services, and technologies to fit the realities of our daily work.

• Acknowledging that one size does not fit all, how do you make your services meet the unique needs of your research community within your local constraints?
• How does your work look day-to-day? How have you implemented scaling up to broader services that are practical and impactful?

The Committee challenges presenters to form proposals that critically engage research data systems, technologies, and practices that are traditionally considered neutral. Presenters are asked to think about these research data issues in the context of systems of oppression and exclusion (including but not limited to racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and classism), labor and hierarchies, and capitalism and profit models.

We request that submitters limit themselves to one proposal per format type.

We welcome submissions from employees of sponsors and will evaluate them using the same methods as other submissions. However, submissions will not be considered if they focus only on demonstrating or selling a sponsor’s specific product.

Types of Proposals

• Presentation – 15 minutes
  The talk should be on original research, a project, or present a perspective.
• Lightning Talk (pre-recorded with live Q&A) – 5 minutes
  Can be on any subject and can focus on a perspective, a work-in-progress, or a completed project.
• Poster
  Posters will be presented virtually, and presenters will have the opportunity to chat one-on-one with RDAP Summit attendees through the conference platform.
• Panel – 45 minutes
  A moderated three-to-four-person panel that will engage in a live conversation with each other and with the RDAP Summit attendees on a topic.
• Workshop – Approximately 3 hours (including a short break)
  The workshop should be interactive, educational, noncommercial, and appropriate for an audience of at least 25 attendees. The Education and Resources Committee members are available to help facilitate if needed

Evaluation Criteria

The Committee will consider 1) the currency and relevance of the topic to the field, 2) appropriateness of the proposal for the session type, 3) impact of practices, conclusions, or recommendations (if applicable), 4) evidence of critical engagement and ethical research (if applicable), 5) organization and clarity, 6) applicability to the Summit theme.

Workshop proposals will also be evaluated based on their learning outcomes.

Lightning Talks can be shorter and more informal, and the Committee will evaluate them with that in mind.

All submissions will be masked with the author/s name/s and institutional affiliation/s removed prior to review. To allow for anonymous masked review, submitters must provide a de-identified copy in the title AND summary sections of the submission form. The Summit Planning Committee Chairs reserve the right to edit summaries containing any author, institutional, location, or company names for the purpose of eliminating identifying information before sending the summary to reviewers. You are urged to anonymize your summary yourself, as the Summit Planning Chairs cannot guarantee the resulting quality if changes must be made after submission. One simple way of anonymizing the summary is replacing any identifying information such as institutional affiliation with the generic descriptor in brackets. For example, instead of Data University, use [institution] or [university].

Finally, the Committee expects:

• Diverse participation in presentations or panels. Diversity includes – but is not limited to – race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, ability, role or specialty, disciplinary approach, or environment.
• All original research and projects are conducted using ethical practices, including informed consent and community participation in community-based research.
• If using presentation aids, presenters are expected to provide accessible materials or work with the appropriate committee to make their materials accessible prior to their presentation on the conference platform.

Rubric

Please view the full rubric used to evaluate the proposals for detailed evaluation criteria.

Timeline

• Proposals will be accepted through November 14, 2025
• Decisions will be sent on December 22, 2025
• Deadline to accept is January 20, 2026

Publication Opportunities

RDAP and the Journal of eScience Librarianship (JeSLIB) are pleased to continue their partnership for RDAP Summit 2026.

All RDAP Summit 2026 presenters are encouraged to submit proposals for a special issue in JeSLIB. Commentaries are also welcome for publication in JeSLIB from first time and veteran attendees.

JeSLIB is a peer-reviewed, open access journal that publishes full-length papers, eScience in Action articles, reviews, commentaries, and video articles. For more information see JeSLIB’s Guidelines for Authors. 

Submit

Submissions require the contact information of all presenters, the proposal type, the title, summary (maximum 300 words) – a complete version and de-identified copy – and a brief statement about what informed your involvement in this topic. Workshop proposals will require learning outcomes. Panel proposals will require three example questions that may be discussed.

The Submission Form is open and available through November 14.

More Information

Feel free to view the 2025 RDAP Summit proceedings, as well as other past RDAP programs.

The RDAP Summit is an independent conference through the RDAP Association, which provides accessible and affordable opportunities to connect with the research data support community.

Send your questions to the RDAP Conference Planning Chairs: rdapsummit@rdapassociation.org.