At the initiative of the ARP team and with the support of the HUN-REN Center, a Data Steward Network is being created within the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network. Starting October 1, 2024, a new position will be introduced in 18 research institutes, each filled by a staff member responsible for data stewardship tasks.

Data stewardship is a relatively new but rapidly evolving and much-needed profession on the international stage. Until now, only a few HUN-REN institutions have had dedicated data stewards or researchers involved in data stewardship to support their colleagues. In Hungary, the first official higher education program in this field was only recently launched in 2023, within the framework of the ELTE DH-Lab institute.

This network-wide initiative aims to ensure that researchers can receive effective and up-to-date support from specialists who understand the processes of research data management. These specialists will be familiar with the necessary steps at different stages of the research data lifecycle—from data collection to making processed and interpreted research data reusable—as well as the challenges and solutions related to data management.

The 18 newly appointed data stewards will participate in an intensive two-month training program organized by the ARP team and the HUN-REN Center. This training will feature experts from the ARP team as well as invited speakers and education professionals recognized as specialists in various key aspects of data stewardship.

The collaborative work with these data stewards will lead to the establishment of the HUN-REN Data Steward Network, which, we hope, will serve as a model and professional guideline for future generations. This step is also expected to be a significant milestone in the history of data stewardship in Hungary.