Call for Contributions 2027

Thank you very much for your interest in the E-Science-Tage 2027!

Dear researchers, colleagues and RDM enthusiasts,

For the E-Science-Tage 2027 in Heidelberg, we aim to look beyond the boundaries of research data management to engage more deeply with current issues, spark critical discourse and increasingly incorporate perspectives from outside the RDM community - and, in particular, from the research community itself. The conference theme, “Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges”, invites you to identify and overcome barriers, build bridges and forge connections between research data management and other areas of interest. We welcome research-oriented contributions, best-practice examples and case studies that address the conference theme and the following topics:

• Data lifecycle, quality assurance & sustainability
• Open Science & transparency
• Technical infrastructures & standards
• Law, ethics & security
• Institutional strategies
• Artificial intelligence
• Impact & transfer
• Insights from research practice

The following applies to all submissions:

• Submissions will be assessed by our reviewers for their topicality and thematic relevance. The review process is conducted anonymously by the review committee; therefore, authorship should not be indicated in the abstract file.
• Papers may be submitted and presented in either German or English.
• At least one author per accepted paper should attend the conference to present their work.
• Maximum word count for the abstract: 500

Important deadlines: Please note that the submission deadline will not be extended!

• 15 September 2026: Submission deadline for workshop abstracts
• 30 September 2026: Submission deadline for all other abstracts (presentations, lightning talks, posters)

Outlook on the next steps/further key dates:

• 15 October 2026: Decision on workshop acceptance
• 15 December 2026: Decision on the acceptance of presentations, lightning talks and posters.
• 3 March 2027 - 5 March 2027: Conference
• 31 March 2027: Deadline for submission of the written versions of the papers: We offer you the opportunity to publish the accepted papers as articles in the conference proceedings.
• 31 March 2027: Deadline for submission of posters for publication.
• 31 April 2027: Feedback from the reviewers on the written versions. There will then be an opportunity to incorporate this feedback.
• 31 May 2027: Deadline for submission of the final versions of the written papers.

Please note that the conference is a German-language event. Authors are free to present their papers in English; however, experience has shown that a significant proportion of the papers are presented in German.

Take part now and submit your paper!

Link to our conference tool

Step 1: Registration and submission of an abstract

The maximum word count for abstracts is 500 words. To submit your abstract, you must first create an account on our conference tool. You can then enter your abstract into a text box and submit it.

Step 2: Selecting the format

Please select your preferred presentation format based on the length and topic:

• Presentation: If accepted, presenters will be invited to the conference to give a 20-minute presentation (10 minutes’ talk and 10 minutes’ discussion). As authors, you can choose whether to deliver your presentation alone or as a “Tandem Talk”. Tandem Talks are joint presentations by infrastructure managers, researchers and/or industry partners that highlight concepts, developments and services on the one hand, and the needs and benefits arising from this collaboration on the other. This format aims to foster a high level of interactivity and encourage discussion by having two (or more) perspectives on a topic presented by at least two interacting presenters. Alternatively, you may also submit your presentation without selecting a specific format in advance.
• Lightning Talk: Lightning Talks are short presentations whose topics are aligned with the conference’s theme. A 6-minute slot (4–5 minutes for the talk and 1–2 minutes for a Q&A session) is allocated for each Lightning Talk.
• Poster: Authors of accepted papers are invited to present their posters during a poster session. Authors must bring their posters with them to the conference.
• Workshop: Dialogue rather than monologue! Workshops provide a space for discussion about specific services, tools or projects. The focus is on their application and benefits for academia. Unlike presentations and lightning talks, workshops place greater emphasis on interaction and rely heavily on input from the audience. A duration of 90 minutes is allocated for each workshop. In exceptional cases, a workshop may be offered over two time slots (2 x 90 minutes). If your workshop requires such an extended duration, please indicate this at the time of submission. Whether an extended duration is possible depends on the total number of submissions and will be decided on a case-by-case basis by the programme committee. Please assume a duration of 90 minutes when submitting your proposal. Please note the earlier deadline (15 September 2026) for workshop submissions!

Note on the hybrid format of the conference: Some of the presentations, as well as all lightning talks, will be streamed online in real time. By submitting your contribution in one of these formats, you and any co-authors agree that the presentation will also be made available to an online audience. Please note, however, that only some of the presentations will be streamed. The selection of the presentation panels to be streamed will be determined by the organiser in collaboration with the programme committee. Participants joining online will have no opportunity to ask questions. No streaming is planned for posters and workshops, and no (real-time) interaction with the online audience will be possible.

Step 3: Publication in the 2027 conference proceedings

We offer you the opportunity to publish accepted papers as articles in the conference proceedings.

This requires a declaration of consent (signed by all authors), which you should please send to us once your paper has been accepted. A template (Word, LaTeX) will be made available shortly. Following a review process, the papers will be published via heiBOOKS (the proceedings of the 2025 E-Science-Tage can be found here: https://doi.org/10.11588/heibooks.1652).

• Presentation: Accepted contributions (regular presentations and Tandem Talks) may be expanded into articles of up to 12 pages.
• Lightning Talk: Accepted contributions in the form of ‘Lightning Talks’ may be expanded into articles of up to 5 pages.
• Poster: Accepted poster contributions may be expanded into articles of up to 5 pages.

Poster publication on heiDOK: You also have the option of subsequently publishing the posters as open-access publications via the Heidelberg document server heiDOK (this also requires the consent of all authors; see above).

Important dates: Please note that the submission deadline will not be extended!

• Submission deadline for the first draft of the manuscript: 31 March 2027
• Submission deadline for publishing the poster in the heiDOK repository: 31 March 2027 (by email to: e-science-tage@uni-heidelberg.de)