In March this year, CESSDA Director Dr. Bonnie Wolff-Boenisch attended the BRIDGE conference in Bucharest, Romania, as a panellist and keynote speaker.

Hosted by the Romanian Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding, and funded by the EEA and Norway Grants, the international conference brought together thought leaders from various domains to discuss the critical role of metadata, data stewardship, and cross-domain integration in improving data management, sharing, and reuse. The conference was designed with researchers, data managers, policymakers, and experts from diverse disciplines in mind, aiming to foster collaboration and explore innovative solutions for connecting and utilising data across domains.

Bonnie with Adrian Dușa, director of Romanian Social Data Archive (RODA).
Romania has been a partner withCESSDA through RODA for over 20 years,
providing Romanian users access to quality social science data
Foto: Zafiu Andrei

The two-day conference opened with a keynote speech by Bonnie on the digitisation of the European Research Area and CESSDA’s work and role in the European data management landscape, from its beginnings nearly fifty years ago to where it stands today.

The conference featured seven panel discussions covering topics such as the role of science clusters in connecting diverse research domains, EOSC’s role in fostering an open and federated research ecosystem, DDI interoperability and how it can enhance data description, interoperability in the life sciences and environmental research, the European Social Survey’s (ESS) role in providing high-quality, cross-national data to support social science research and evidence-based policymaking, and best practices for managing, curating, and preserving data to ensure accessibility, quality, and long-term usability across domains.

The panels featured several of CESSDA’s service providers, with Ingrid Dillo
and Simon Saldner from DANS,Darren Bell from UK Data Service, Olof Olsson
from Swedish National Data Service,Hilde Orten from SIKT, and Irena Vipavc Brvar
from ADP all participating.
Foto: Zafiu Andrei

The seventh panel, attended by Bonnie and other prominent directors and leaders in the data management community, summarised the main points from the discussions in the preceding panels.

Three directors discussing problems and solutions, as Bonnie sat down with
Sally Chambers from DARIAH and Darja Fišer from CLARIN. 
Foto: Zafiu Andrei

Participants highlighted the need to strengthen the connection between research and policymaking by ensuring data is accessible, well-documented, and easy to interpret. They stressed that beyond availability, structured metadata and clear communication are crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Research infrastructures were recognised as key enablers in this process. The discussion also addressed the challenges of interdisciplinary collaboration, including the need for standardised vocabularies, transparent methodologies, and greater incentives for early-career researchers working across fields.

One of the key discussions at the BRIDGE conference focused on DDI Interoperability. 
Members of the DDI Alliance executive board were present at the conference, offering
their views and expert knowledge on the subject. 
Foto: Zafiu Andrei

Panellists called for a stronger commitment to FAIR data principles, while also urging careful attention to ethical concerns around sensitive data and AI. Persistent barriers to data sharing, such as inconsistent standards, poor interoperability, and weak preservation frameworks, were also noted. To overcome these, reforms in research assessment and greater institutional support were mentioned as possible solutions.

The event concluded with a call for ongoing collaboration between researchers, policymakers, and funders, reaffirming that research should not only advance knowledge but also drive meaningful societal change.

Ingrid Dillo from DANS, CESSDA's Dutch service provider, enjoying the program. 
Foto: Zafiu Andrei


Bonnie and Christos Arvanitidis, CEO of the ERIC LifeWatch, on the final panel. 
Foto: Zafiu Andrei

Foto: Zafiu Andrei