Our article, co-authored with several Hungarian experts and titled “Developing the Data Steward Community in Hungary,” was published in the first issue of the Central European Library and Information Science Review (CELISR) for 2026. The study is a collaborative effort by data steward specialists from the Data Repository Platform, the ELTE National Laboratory for Digital Heritage (ELTE DH-LAB), and the ELTE Research Centre for Linguistics (ELTE NYTK). The authors provide a detailed account of the steps, milestones, and challenges involved in the emergence of the data steward profession in Hungary, the individual and joint efforts of the institutions, the institutionalization of the profession, as well as the bottom-up formation, development, and role of the Hungarian data steward community.
What makes this article unique is that it reports on processes that are currently underway and highlights the work of professionals who actively participate in and shape these processes. The study offers insight into the formation of this new profession, along with all of its individual, institutional, and cooperative aspects.
The study is authored by Ákos Lencsés (ELTE NYTK), one of the leading figures in the Hungarian data steward community; Zsuzsa Sidó (ELTE DH-LAB) and Bence Vida (ELTE DH-LAB), instructors in the first official university-level data steward program; as well as Júlia Egyed-Gergely (ELTE TK KDK, HUN-REN ARP), Henrietta Farkas (HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network, HUN-REN ARP), Anna Horváth (ELTE TK KDK, HUN-REN ARP), and Enikő Meiszterics (ELTE TK KDK, HUN-REN ARP), who are the developers and implementers of the ARP Data Steward Network training program.
Abstract: “Data stewardship is an emerging professional field that supports researchers in managing, preserving, and sharing research data according to FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and open science principles. In Hungary, this role has recently become institutionalized through coordinated educational and community-building initiatives. The first formal postgraduate data steward training program was launched at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in 2023, providing interdisciplinary education that combines technical, legal, and research data management skills. Parallel to this, the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network established its Data Steward Network in 2024, supported by infrastructure development and pilot projects. The network’s members, trained through a dedicated internal training program, support research data management across diverse disciplines. Regular community meetings, workshops, and international collaborations further strengthen professionalization efforts. Together, these developments represent a significant step toward integrating data stewardship into Hungary’s research ecosystem, creating a national framework that fosters sustainable research data management practices across institutions.”
The full article is available here: https://doi.org/10.3311/celisr.43151
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