PID4NFDI Community workshop on IGSN Use Cases
Image credit: [PID4NFDI]PID4NFDI Community workshop on IGSN Use Cases
Date: June 04, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM (CEST)
Location: Online via Zoom (Please register to receive access information, see below.)
Language: English
About the Workshop
The International Generic Sample Number (IGSN) is a globally unique and persistent identifier (PID) for physical objects—ranging from rock samples and sediment cores to biological specimens and cultural heritage objects. By providing a machine-actionable link between samples, datasets, and publications, IGSNs ensure that physical research materials are as FAIR as the digital data derived from them.
While the IGSN e.V. provides the global framework, a wide landscape of initiatives and services has emerged to support its implementation. This workshop serves as a dedicated coordination space to map these activities within and around the NFDI.
Why Join This Workshop?
This event brings together colleagues from NFDI consortia who are already actively using IGSNs and those planning their implementation. Our goals are:
- 🤝 Community Exchange: Share hands-on use cases and foster networking between different research domains.
- 🛠️ Service Overview: Get an update on available IGSN services and existing infrastructures.
- 📚 Shaping Resources: Provide direct feedback on current training materials and guidance documents.
- 🚀 Future Collaboration: Identify community needs and discuss future formats for structured exchange.
Whether you are an expert user or just starting your PID journey, join us to help synchronize IGSN activities across the NFDI landscape and bridge the gap between physical samples and the global PID ecosystem. Although this workshop focuses on use cases from the NFDI consortia, we warmly invite colleagues and interested parties who are not active members of an NFDI consortium or a BASE4NFDI project to participate in the discussion.
Program
| Time | Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 | Welcome & project overview | PID4NFDI - Torsten Kahlert (TIB) |
| 10:15 | Introduction on IGSN | Kirsten Elger (IGSN e.V. / GFZ Helmholtz-Centre for Geosciences) |
| 10:30 | Lightning Talks (max. 5 Min, 6 Talks from different NFDI consortia) | Various Speakers |
| 11:00 | Q&A Session | Plenary, moderated by PID4NFDI - Antonia Schrader (Helmholtz OS Office) |
| 11:15 | Overview on Training/Guidance Material | PID4NFDI - Paul Vierkant (DataCite) |
| 11:20 | Breakout Session (Feedback and needs on training material in small groups) | |
| 11:50 | Break | |
| 12:10 | Wrap-up of Breakout Session | Plenary, moderated by PID4NFDI - Paul |
| 12:15 | Discussion on future formats for structured exchange (Input from Gary Hsu (Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum)) | Plenary, moderated by PID4NFDI - Torsten |
| 12:55 | Recap & Farewell | PID4NFDI - Antonia |
Please note that the program is subject to change.
Registration
Participation is free of charge and open to anyone interested via the following link: https://gfz-de.zoom-x.de/meeting/register/inSis27DTyKBI5nAngUplw