Highlights and Insights from “Forward Together 2026”

On 21 May 2026, the conference “Forward Together” took place at the “Fantadroms” conference centre in Riga, bringing together nearly 200 professionals from higher education, science and the IT sector, as well as researchers and representatives of institutions. The event focused on the digital development of science and higher education in Latvia, with particular attention devoted to four national-level directions: data management and data stewards, the digitalisation of scientific activity and participation in the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), the Research Information Management System (RIMS), and the digitalisation of the study process.

At the opening of the conference, the importance of a unified digital ecosystem in strengthening the competitiveness of Latvian science and higher education was emphasised. The event began with a presentation titled “Forward Together: Four Initiatives, One Path” by Iļja Afanasjevs from The Higher Education and Science Information Technology Shared Service Centre, outlining a common vision for a mutually integrated digital infrastructure in the future.

The conference also featured several international experts, who shared their experience in implementing digital solutions in research and higher education. One of the keynote speakers was Sonia Barbosa from Harvard University, whose presentation “Saving Data, Sustaining Discovery” addressed the importance of preserving and managing research data in the development of open science. Tiago Guedes from NOVA University Lisbon shared his experience with the implementation and development of the PURE system at the university level, analysing challenges and examples of good practice. Andreas Kirstein from the Swiss Library Service Platform also attracted interest with his presentation on the creation of a national library platform in Switzerland.

During the conference, parallel sessions gave participants the opportunity to explore in greater depth four major initiatives within Latvia’s digital ecosystem for science and higher education.

In the session on data management and data stewards, participants discussed the development of the Latvian Data Stewards Network and the strengthening of research data management at the national level. Experts from Latvia, Estonia and the Netherlands highlighted the importance of data quality, accessibility and sustainable storage in modern science — Diana Pilvar from the University of Tartu/ELIXIR Estonia, Liise Lehtsalu from the Research Data Alliance, and Jetze Touber from DANS KNAW.

In the session on the digitalisation of scientific activity and participation in the European Open Science Cloud, Latvia’s steps towards full integration into the EOSC infrastructure were examined. Thijs van der Horst from SURF shared experience with the Dutch digital infrastructure for research and education, as well as its model of cooperation. Iļja Afanasjevs presented the progress achieved so far and future development prospects, emphasising the importance of shared digital solutions in promoting research collaboration at the European level.

Considerable attention was also devoted to the development of the Research Information Management System (RIMS). In the session on the creation of a national RIMS instance, the stages of system development and future benefits for Latvia’s higher education and research institutions were presented. The need for unified research information management was highlighted as essential for more effective data analysis, reporting and international cooperation.

Meanwhile, the sessions on the digitalisation of the study process analysed the development of a digitally connected higher education ecosystem. Participants discussed modern study management solutions, education data registers and digital services for students and higher education institutions.

The conference concluded with the panel discussion “Shared Infrastructure, Shared Responsibility”, featuring Iļja Afanasjevs, Guntars Kitenbergs from the University of Latvia, Indra Dedze from the Latvian Council of Science, Dāvis Sīmanis from the Latvian Academy of Culture, and Dace Kārkle from the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis. The discussion emphasised the need for closer cooperation between universities, research organisations and state institutions in order to ensure the sustainable development of digital infrastructure.

The conference “Forward Together” demonstrated that the digital transformation of Latvia’s science and higher education sector is becoming increasingly purposeful and coordinated. The conference not only provided an opportunity to learn about the latest digital solutions and services, but also fostered dialogue on a shared future vision for the development of science and higher education. For this reason, the conference organisers emphasise that “Forward Together” is intended to become an annual tradition, bringing together in one place the participants of Latvia’s science, higher education and digital development ecosystem.