Unsure how to make your data, software, or workflows truly interoperable? Do standards such as file formats, metadata schemas, and shared vocabularies feel difficult to apply in practice ? And how do these challenges relate to integrating and collaborating across fragmented research-IT infrastructures?

In this open and informal session, we explore what it really takes to make interoperability work in practice. You share your experiences, hear how others tackle similar challenges, and uncover where researchers often encounter difficulties when choosing or applying standards. You also exchange ideas on how to train and support researchers in making choices that empower interoperability.

You will hear how the Dutch Interoperability Network (DIN) connects communities across domains to address shared challenges, stimulate collaboration and co-develop training. You will also gain insight into SURF’s Innovation Zones (IZ), where collaborative efforts are already working toward a more integrated and user-friendly research-IT ecosystem in the Netherlands by improving access, workflows, and use of infrastructure.

Interoperability is not something you can fix on your own. It takes shared understanding, coordination, and community effort. Join the session to connect with peers, explore collaboration opportunities, and help identify concrete focus areas and actions that DIN and the SURF IZ can take forward. Your input will directly influence what comes next.