FedOSC Webinar - Data 101 - What is metadata and what does it do?

The FedOSC learning community hosted, on April 24th, 2026, this webinar about metadata concepts, standards, and added value for research data. It addressed the importance of cross-domain metadata standards to support interoperability and help create a shared understanding. It covered the basics of the concept of metadata for research data and provided practical insights on what metadata actually does to support research visibility. It consisted of two parts:

• First, an optional, high-level 30 minutes introduction about the concept of metadata for research data by the FedOSC data stewards;

• Then, a series of presentations to address the question of added value of metadata and discipline-specific metadata standards for research visibility

The program of the second part was the following: 

• Sander Van Dooren (Data Interoperability Architect, European Commission) - The power of metadata: knowledge circulation across Europe with DCAT-AP
• In the GLAM track:
  • Maud Henry (Metadata librarian, Bibliographic Information Agency, KBR) - Library metadata standards supporting the FAIR principles
  • Kristina Fischer (Conservator, Leibniz-Zentrum For Archaeology) - A metadata schema for conservation documentation
• In the STEM track: 
  • Maxime Coupermanne (Data Officer, Biodiversity Platform) & Tobias Musschoot (Data Officer, Biodiversity Platform) - A Practical Introduction to GBIF Standards: Simple Principles to Unlock Biodiversity Data
  • Pascal Derycke (Innovation Manager, Sciensano) - The HealthDCAT-AP case study to enable electronic health data reuse