FAIR data management and artificial intelligence: CODATA workshop at the University of Minho within Climate-Adapt4EOSC
On 9 February 2026, a dedicated workshop on “The challenges of FAIR data management and artificial intelligence in research data infrastructures” was held from 11:30 to 13:00 at the Universidade do Minho, in Braga. The session gathered approximately 90 participants, attending both onsite and online, reflecting strong interest from the research data and open science communities.
The workshop was delivered by Simon Hodson, Executive Director, and Vyacheslav Tykhonov, Head of Interoperability and Artificial Intelligence, representing CODATA within the framework of the Climate-Adapt4EOSC project.
Addressing FAIR data and AI challenges in research infrastructures
The session explored the evolving challenges of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) data management in the context of increasingly complex research data infrastructures and the growing integration of artificial intelligence. Drawing on international best practices and ongoing European initiatives, CODATA provided a structured overview of key issues related to data interoperability, governance frameworks and sustainability.
Particular emphasis was placed on the role of artificial intelligence as an enabler for scalable, reusable and interoperable research infrastructures, while also highlighting the need for robust governance models, transparent workflows and high-quality metadata to ensure trust, reproducibility and long-term value.
Positioning within Data Week and national open science initiatives
The workshop took place as part of a broader international event organised within Data Week by the Re.Data_PT project. This event showcased results from Portugal’s National Programme for Open Science and Open Research Data and provided a platform to discuss current FAIR data management challenges and the contribution of artificial intelligence to the evolution of research data ecosystems.
By situating the session within this wider context, the workshop fostered dialogue between European and national initiatives, reinforcing alignment between policy objectives, technical solutions and research community needs.
Climate-Adapt4EOSC contributions: interoperability by design
Within Climate-Adapt4EOSC, the workshop highlighted how the project leverages the Cross-Domain Interoperability Framework (CDIF) to implement, test and refine interoperable solutions across climate adaptation use cases. This framework supports the integration of heterogeneous datasets and services originating from different domains, scales and territorial contexts.
Combined with the use of RO-Crate for data packaging and orchestration, this approach enables FAIR-by-design workflows that facilitate reuse, automation and integration within the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) ecosystem. The workshop illustrated how these technical building blocks contribute to more effective, interoperable and AI-ready research data infrastructures in support of climate adaptation.
Concluding remarks
This workshop at the University of Minho reaffirmed the central role of FAIR data principles and interoperability in enabling trustworthy and scalable research infrastructures. By combining expertise from CODATA with the applied perspective of Climate-Adapt4EOSC, the session contributed to advancing shared understanding of how artificial intelligence and robust data governance can jointly support the next generation of open, interoperable research services within EOSC.
