Birds of a Feather (BoF)
This page is for anyone looking to propose a Birds of a Feather (BoF) session or find one to attend.
Birds of a Feather (BoF) is a format for RDA members to explore a new topic or idea that is not yet covered by an existing Working Group or Interest Group. It is the starting point for turning a new idea into an RDA group.
A BoF session provides a space to discuss new topics and ideas, foster community engagement, facilitate networking, encourage ideas exchange, or support roadmap planning among participants with common concerns or interests.
After running your BoF session, you can decide to re-submit with improvements based on feedback, convert the idea into a formal Working Group or Interest Group, or retire the idea if there is not enough interest.
Option 1: At an RDA Plenary Meeting
You submit a BoF proposal during the official call for sessions before each RDA Plenary Meeting. If approved, your session will run during the Plenary (either hybrid or virtual format) and will be listed in the official Plenary programme on the RDA website.
This option is best for: maximising visibility and engaging with global attendees at the Plenary.
Keep in mind: Proposals follow specific submission timelines, and dates and times adhere to schedules defined by the RDA Secretariat.
How to apply:
- Submit your BoF proposal in response to the Call for Session for the upcoming Plenary.
- After the submission deadline, your proposal is reviewed by TAB.
- If approved, your BoF will be listed in the Plenary programme and held at the Plenary.
Option 2: BoF Online At Any Time
You can submit a BoF proposal anytime throughout the year using the online application form on this webpage. If approved, you choose when to run your session. Your BoF will be promoted on the RDA website and highlighted in the RDA community newsletter when possible.
This option is best for: flexibility in timing.
Keep in mind: Your session will not be part of the Plenary programme and will receive more limited promotion.
How to apply:
For full guidance on what to expect before, during and after your ‘BoF Online At Any Time’ session, download a Mini-Guide.
Next Steps for Both Options (BoF at an RDA Plenary Meeting and BoF Online At Any Time)
Review Process
All BoF proposals go through the same review process regardless of the option chosen.
BoF proposals are reviewed by the Technical Advisory Board (TAB). They assess whether your proposal:
- Aligns with RDA’s mission, vision and guiding principles,
- Does not overlap with existing Working Groups or Interest Groups
- Is not focused exclusively on one technology or product.
- Has time slot available at the next Plenary (only for BoF at an RDA Plenary Meeting)
The RDA Secretariat will contact you with the review outcome.
After Your BoF Session
At or shortly after your BoF session, you should decide whether to keep the BoF as a one-off event or continue discussions by converting it into an Interest Group or Working Group (Statement of Work to be developed). By default, BoFs are terminated after the related BoF event unless transitioned into a WG or IG. Please notify the Secretariat at [email protected] about your decision.
Not Proposing a BoF but Want to Attend One?
- For BoF at an RDA Plenary Meeting: You can view a list of BoFs on the Plenary programme. Any RDA member registered for the Plenary can join these sessions.
- For BoF Online At Any Time: Information about joining these sessions will be provided when they are announced. They will be free of charge but subject to registration.
Recent BoF Sessions
The table below lists BoF sessions held at the last two RDA Plenaries as examples of recent topics explored by the community
| Related Plenary | BoF Title and Link to a Submission | Pathways |
|---|---|---|
| RDA 25th Plenary Meeting (part of International Data Week 2025) 13-16 October 2025, Australia | Infrastructure for Non Traditional Research Outputs (NTROs) and Processes Interest Group Proposal (Infra4NTRO) | FAIR, CARE, TRUST – Evaluation and Policy Data Infrastructures and Environments – Discipline Focused |
| RDA 25th Plenary Meeting (part of International Data Week 2025) 13-16 October 2025, Australia | Project Identifiers: Enabling FAIR with project identification and metadata | FAIR, CARE, TRUST – Adoption, Implementation, and Deployment Data Infrastructures and Environments – Generalist Semantics, Ontology, Standardisation |
| RDA 25th Plenary Meeting (part of International Data Week 2025) 13-16 October 2025, Australia | A framework for assessing the value of research data | FAIR, CARE, TRUST – Adoption, Implementation, and Deployment Data Infrastructures and Environments – Generalist Policy |
| RDA 25th Plenary Meeting (part of International Data Week 2025) 13-16 October 2025, Australia | Towards reproducible and transparent computational modelling in health and biomedical research | Training, Stewardship, and Data Management Planning Semantics, Ontology, Standardisation Data Lifecycles – Versioning, Provenance, Citation, and Reward |
| RDA 25th Plenary Meeting (part of International Data Week 2025) 13-16 October 2025, Australia | Open Science and ethical considerations regarding data sharing from human subjects | FAIR, CARE, TRUST – Evaluation and Policy FAIR, CARE, TRUST – Adoption, Implementation, and Deployment Data Infrastructures and Environments – Generalist |
| RDA 25th Plenary Meeting (part of International Data Week 2025) 13-16 October 2025, Australia | Dataspaces and Data Collaboratives for Research Administration and Data Sharing Management | FAIR, CARE, TRUST – Adoption, Implementation, and Deployment Data Infrastructures and Environments – Generalist Data Lifecycles – Versioning, Provenance, Citation, and Reward |
| RDA 25th Plenary Meeting (part of International Data Week 2025) 13-16 October 2025, Australia | Documenting LLM Interactions throughout the Research Data lifecycle | AI meets data: exploring use cases, applications and innovation |
| RDA 25th Plenary Meeting (part of International Data Week 2025) 13-16 October 2025, Australia | The yellow pages of FAIR-enabling resources | FAIR, CARE, TRUST – Adoption, Implementation, and Deployment Training, Stewardship, and Data Management Planning AI meets data: exploring use cases, applications and innovation |
| RDA 25th Plenary Meeting (part of International Data Week 2025) 13-16 October 2025, Australia | Enabling effective data curation in the long tail of the Physical Sciences | FAIR, CARE, TRUST – Adoption, Implementation, and Deployment Data Infrastructures and Environments – Discipline Focused Training, Stewardship, and Data Management Planning |
| RDA 26th Plenary Meeting, Virtual 16-20 March 2026 | Autonomous agents at the gate: accelerating data visitation | Data Infrastructures and Environments – Generalist AI meets data: exploring use cases, applications and innovation Ethical data |
| RDA 26th Plenary Meeting, Virtual 16-20 March 2026 | SE4RA: A global community of practice for responsible research assessment | Data Infrastructures and Environments – Generalist Training, Stewardship, and Data Management Planning Ethical data |
| RDA 26th Plenary Meeting, Virtual 16-20 March 2026 | RDA-US Community Meeting: Celebrating member impact and anticipating future needs | Not selected |
| RDA 26th Plenary Meeting, Virtual 16-20 March 2026 | Understanding user needs: how can research data experts learn from each other? | FAIR, CARE, TRUST – Adoption, Implementation, and Deployment Data Infrastructures and Environments – Generalist Data Lifecycles – Versioning, Provenance, Citation, and Reward |
| RDA 26th Plenary Meeting, Virtual 16-20 March 2026 | Bridging FAIR Enabling Resources, Implementation Profiles and Cross-Domain Interoperability | FAIR, CARE, TRUST – Adoption, Implementation, and Deployment Semantics, Ontology, Standardisation |
| RDA 26th Plenary Meeting, Virtual 16-20 March 2026 | Dataspaces in the Research Ecosystem | Data Infrastructures and Environments – Generalist Data Lifecycles – Versioning, Provenance, Citation, and Reward AI meets data: exploring use cases, applications and innovation |
| RDA 26th Plenary Meeting, Virtual 16-20 March 2026 | FAIRification of Citizen-Generated Data | FAIR, CARE, TRUST – Adoption, Implementation, and Deployment Data Infrastructures and Environments – Generalist Data Lifecycles – Versioning, Provenance, Citation, and Reward |
| RDA 26th Plenary Meeting, Virtual 16-20 March 2026 | Data Ethics | Ethical data |
