| Time & Place | Session & Speaker |
|---|---|
08:30 – 09:00 | Registration |
| 09:00 – 10:30 | Pre-conference workshops (Choice of 2 concurrent workshops) Workshop A: Figshare item type based metadata This workshop addresses the item type based metadata changes, and what they mean in practice. The goal is to help repository managers identify what metadata types they require in Figshare and how best to configure metadata for their Figshare use case. Facilitated by: Francesca Dickens, Product Manager, Figshare Kayleigh Lino, Head of Project Services, Research Workflows Andreea Duminica, Lead Project Manager, Figshare and Symplectic Workshop B: Community Knowledge Café A Knowledge Café is a method of connecting people to share knowledge and experiences surrounding a specific topic, and generate new thinking and ideas by sharing lessons learned across teams and organisations. This Knowledge Café will discuss supporting the creation of research management plans; writing and adopting an institutional data management policy; and devising and implementing dedicated data management training and support services for researchers. Facilitated by: Kirchner van Deventer, Manager: Research Data Services, Stellenbosch University Sithembile Ngobese, Research Library Services, University of KwaZulu-Natal Dr. Sanjin Muftić, Digital Scholarship Specialist, UCT Libraries Maria Cotera, Research Workflow Solutions Manager, Digital Science |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Coffee Break |
| 11:00 – 11:25 | Workshops continue – Feedback and Next Steps |
| 11:25 – 11:40 | Transfer to main conference hall |
| 11:40 – 12:05 | Welcome, housekeeping, and introductions Maria Cotera, Research Workflow Solutions Manager, Academic – EMEA, Digital Science Official conference opening and welcome Ms. Ellen Tise, Chief Director, Library and Information Services, Stellenbosch University Welcome from Digital Science Daryl Naylor, VP Academic Sales, EMEA, Digital Science |
| 12:05 – 12:30 | Opening Keynote News from the Other Side of the Event Horizon Dario Fannucchi, Co-founder and CTO, isazi.ai We tend to talk about the AI singularity as something that might happen in the future. But software and data science were the first professions to be hit by the AI wave, and I was standing right in its path. In the last year I found that what I could build, and the way I worked; and what was important to work on have changed almost beyond recognition. This talk is my report from the other side of that event horizon: what happens to expertise, experimentation and problem-solving when AI becomes better than us at what we used to do, and what that experience might tell us about the changes now coming to science. |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Networking Lunch |
| 13:30 – 13:50 | Figshare Product Roadmap Update and Q&A Francesca Dickens, Product Manager, Figshare |
| 13:50 – 14:15 | Figshare in practice – Knowledge and Experience Sharing from Workshop A: Figshare item type based metadata Community-led session. Workshop A participants share learning and outcomes. |
| 14:15 – 14:40 | Figshare in practice – Knowledge and Experience Sharing from Workshop B: Community Knowledge Café Community-led session. Workshop B participants share learning and outcomes. |
| 14:40 – 15:30 | Figshare Case Studies: Wits Libraries’ use of Digital Science solutions to support the university’s impact and innovation strategy Lazarus Matizirofa, Associate Director, Research, Scholarly Communications, Digital Systems and Services, Wits Libraries, University of the Witwatersrand From Preservation to Discovery: Migrating the Antarctic Legacy of South Africa (ALSA) Repository from DSpace to Figshare; Enhancing access, geospatial discovery, and digital preservation for South Africa’s polar heritage Ria Olivier, Project Manager and Principal Investigator, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, Stellenbosch University ALSA is a nationally significant digital heritage initiative dedicated to preserving and promoting South Africa’s involvement in Antarctica. At the heart of the project is its digital repository, the foundation for collecting, preserving, and disseminating archival materials relating to the South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP). This presentation provides an overview of ALSA, its repository collections, and the ongoing migration from DSpace to Figshare, highlighting the strategic motivations behind the move. As an early-stage migration case study, the presentation reflects on initial outcomes, opportunities, and lessons learned, demonstrating how modern repository infrastructure can strengthen the preservation, accessibility, and impact of South Africa’s Antarctic legacy. |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | Coffee Break |
| 16:00 – 17:20 | Ask Us Anything: Community Discussion Open exchange on practical challenges, priorities, and peer learning. Facilitated session. |
| 17:20 – 17:30 | Day One Recap and Close |
| 18:00 – onwards | Braai at STIAS |
| Time & Place | Session & Speaker |
|---|---|
| 08:30 – 09:00 | Registration |
09:00 – 09:10 | Welcome to Day 2 Maria Cotera, Research Workflow Solutions Manager, Academic – EMEA, Digital Science |
| 09:10 – 10:30 | Panel Discussion: Dimensions and Altmetric in practice Bongi Mhputi, Manager: Research Visibility & Open Scholarship, University of Witwatersrand Samuel Simango, Senior Manager: Academic Support Services, Rhodes University Ben McLeish, Sales, EMEA, Digital Science After Ben gives us an update on recent developments we’ve made to the Dimensions and Altmetric services, we get to hear from our panelists about how implementing Dimensions and/or Altmetric services at their institutions has changed their workflows, capabilities, reporting and what future changes and improvements they foresee in future years. |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Coffee Break and Group Photo |
| 11:00 – 11:25 | Symplectic Elements case study: The use of technology in the annual DHET submission of research publications for subsidy at Stellenbosch University, with special reference to Symplectic Elements. Daléne Pieterse, Manager: Research Information & Strategy, Research Information & Strategy Cluster, Division for Research Development, Stellenbosch University Like many HEI’s, Stellenbosch University (SU) has seen a dramatic increase in research publications over the last thirty years. This increase, together with a demand from the Department of Higher Education & Training (DHET) for more detailed information on submitted publications, has necessitated the SU research office to find innovative ways to deal with the increased complexity in reporting. The presentation will focus on the use of technology to ensure that this assessment exercise is handled effectively and that the integrity of the process is intact as far as possible, ensuring maximum benefit to the institution subsidy wise, while simultaneously adhering to sound research publication practices and responsible reporting. |
| 11:25 – 11:55 | Responsible use of AI in Research Information Management Featuring Symplectic Elements and AI-assisted functionality. Daryl Naylor, VP Academic Sales, EMEA, Digital Science While the world has seen a proliferation in AI in recent times, we as a technology company supporting academic institutions have been working on ways to introduce AI into our tools in a way that is both responsible and that provides real benefits to those that use them. This presentation will detail the advancements we have made, enhancing automation whilst importantly ensuring that the human-in-the-loop remains at the forefront. |
| 11:55 – 12:20 | Closing Keynote: Open Was Just the Beginning Dr Mark Hahnel, VP Open Research, Digital Science and Founder of Figshare Making research openly available is a significant achievement. What happens next will determine its value. How do we move from research that can be accessed to research that can be understood, trusted and reused? Drawing on the journey of Figshare and the changing landscape of open research, this talk explores what comes after sharing: connecting research outputs, recognising more of the work behind discovery, and making knowledge useful to both people and machines. It asks what institutions, libraries and research communities can do now to help shape that future, and which ambitions should guide the next chapter of open research. |
| 12:20 – 12:30 | Closing remarks Daryl Naylor, VP Academic Sales, EMEA, Digital Science |
| 12:30 | Networking Lunch, generously sponsored by Stellenbosch University Library |