HASS and Indigenous Research Data Community Exchange Knowledge at Annual Symposium

The ARDC hosted the second HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons Symposium 2024 on 18 and 19 of June 2024. This 2-day event held both online and in person at the Woodward Conference Centre in Melbourne/Naarm, brought together over 130 researchers, research infrastructure specialists, policymakers, and industry partners to explore the exciting developments in HASS and Indigenous research data infrastructure. 

The symposium showcased the research infrastructure being created within the HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons (HASS and Indigenous RDC). The HASS and Indigenous RDC aims to establish long-term, enduring national digital research infrastructure. It supports researchers in harnessing research data to enhance Australian social and cultural well-being while preserving our culture, history, and heritage.

The Symposium was facilitated genuinely and inclusively by Grant Sarra, Gooreng Gooreng, who has supported the growth of the HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons by facilitating several workshops and events over the past 2 years.

Entering Phase 2 of the HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons in 2024

In partnership with research institutions and government, the HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons has achieved joint resourcing of more than $40 million over the coming 4 years for 4 research infrastructure focus areas. Two more focus areas are in development with the research community. 

Focus area partners met together the day before the symposium to share information about their new projects, discuss their challenges and solutions and explore what it means to work together as a single Research Data Commons. At the public symposium over the next two days, the audience heard from the partners about the story so far, then about planned outcomes for the future. 

Two focus areas began in 2022 and are now entering phase 2:

Improving Indigenous Research Capabilities

Hear the achievements and outcomes so far in the presentation from Levi Murray (Wakka Wakka and Kubi Kubi, Indigenous Data Network, University of Melbourne) and Dr Kristen Smith (Indigenous Data Network, The University of Melbourne). A highlight of the session was watching a showcase of experiences drawn from the Yirrkala Community demonstrating the rescue of valuable Indigenous Data collections. We also heard from the exciting Sandpit in the Sandstone project, a partnership between the Mithaka Community, The University of Queensland and the Fyer Library – presented by Prof Sandra Phillips (Wakka Wakka and Gooreng Gooreng, University of Melbourne) and Caleb Richardson and Dr Penny Holliday (University of Queensland). Watch the presentation.

Language Data Commons of Australia

Hear the team present their achievements and outcomes so far, with Prof Michael Haugh, Dr Simon Musgrave and Robert McLellan (University of Queensland). Watch now.

Two new focus areas are starting in 2024:

Australian Creative Histories and Futures

Hear about the visions and plans of this new focus area in the presentation from project partners: Dr Caroline Wake and Dr Bryoni Trezise (UNSW),  Assoc/Prof Maggie Nolan (University of Queensland and Director of AustLit), Professor Chris Hay (Flinders University and Academic Lead, AusStage), Rebecca Mostyn and Caitlin Vaughan (Creative Australia). Watch now.

Australian Internet Observatory

Hear about the visions and plans of this new focus area in the presentation from project partners: Professor Patrik Wikstrom (QUT’s Digital Media Research Centre and the ARC Centre of Excellent for Automated Decision Making and Society) and Dr Damiano Spina (RMIT). The Australian Internet Observatory was launched on 17 June 2024. Watch now.

A social sciences research infrastructure focus area is currently in co-design, with a draft project plan being released shortly for feedback from the research community. A pilot project in social sciences research infrastructure is currently underway: Enhancing Metadata for Inclusive Research on Entrenched Disadvantage. Watch the presentation on the pilot project, as well as a previous project, the Geosocial Demonstrator, from Dr Tomasz Zajac and Dr Matt Curry (Institute for Social Science Research at the University of Queensland), and German Gonzalez (Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN)). Watch now.

As part of the Connections focus area (formerly called Integrations), the ARDC Community Data Lab has completed phase 1. A co-design process will be conducted later in 2024 to develop a new project plan for its next phase. Hear about the project successes so far and another integration project that rescued at-risk data in legacy systems from Dr Tom Honeyman (ARDC) and Owen O’Neill. Watch now.

In Partnership with Indigenous Researchers and Communities

Indigenous-led projects and partnerships with Indigenous researchers and communities are a vital part of the HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons. The HASS and Indigenous RDC is accelerating research by promoting ethical and cooperative data sharing, following FAIR and CARE data principles, as well as Indigenous data governance protocols.

On the first day, the ARDC and partners discussed the Framework for Governance of Indigenous Data and authentic relationships and meaningful collaboration with Indigenous people and data across the HASS and Indigenous RDC – presented by Jenny Fewster (ARDC), Robert McLellan (Gooreng Gooreng, University of Queensland), Grant Sarra (facilitator), Dr Kristen Smith (Indigenous Data Network, University of Melbourne) and Levi Murray (Wakka Wakka and Kubi Kubi, Indigenous Data Network, University of Melbourne). Watch now.

On the second day, we heard case studies on investing in people for the Research Data Commons, with insightful presentations from Liam Jensen (Wiradjuri, Indigenous Intern, ARDC and Indigenous Data Network) and Paul Williams (Gamilaraay, University of Queensland). Watch now.

We were privileged to hear from Uncle Michael Williams, Gooreng Gooreng and former head of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies unit at the University of Queensland. He shared his wisdom and insights on the endeavours of the HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons in his wrap up of the 2-day symposium. Watch now.

Research Infrastructure and Australia’s Learned Academies

We were pleased to have representatives from Australia’s Learned Academies present at the Symposium 

On the first day, we heard from Inga Davis, Executive Director of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, who had examined the archives of the Academy to provide a historical overview of funding for Humanities research infrastructure. Watch now.

On the second day, Dr Isabel Ceron, Senior Policy Analyst at the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, presented the Decadal Plan for Social Science Research Infrastructure 2024-33: The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. Watch now.

We sincerely thank all the presenters, partners and participants at the symposium for sharing their knowledge and experience, and for their ongoing contributions to the impact of the HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons.

Watch the full recordings of the 2024 HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons Symposium.

We’re planning the next HASS and Indigenous RDC Computational Skills Summer School, which will be held in February 2025. Join the Summer School ideas meeting to share the topics you would like to see covered at the next Summer School on Wednesday 31 July at 2pm. Register now >

View photos from the Symposium

The ARDC is enabled by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) to support national digital research infrastructure for Australian researchers.