Individual Membership

Become a Member

Any individual, regardless of profession or discipline, with an interest in reducing the barriers to data sharing and re-use can join the RDA community.

Members must agree to the RDA’s Guiding Principles and individual membership is free of charge.

Why should individuals join the RDA?

Contribute to debates, Recommendations and Outputs

Participate in global discussions on Open Science, research data management, the FAIR Guiding Principles, and more.
Engage with RDA community groups (Working Groups, Interest Groups, and Communities of Practice).
Propose new topics for discussion and contribute to the practical development of concrete solutions.
Receive regular updates on the work and activities of the RDA community.
Create, access, and adopt the RDA’s recommendations and outputs.

Become part of the community

Access an extraordinary network of data experts with a broad set of experiences, perspectives, practices, and intellectual frameworks relevant to data-driven innovation.
Become a voice to advocate for the RDA and data interoperability in your organisations, sectors, markets, and regions.
Have a voice in the RDA, providing advice and counsel on the needs of your organisations, sectors, markets, and regions, and the problems faced in data exchange.
Participate in RDA voting processes to drive change within the organisation.
Participate in RDA events, including webinars, workshops, and our bi-annual Plenary meetings.

Gain experience and professional development

Gain expertise in data-related topics across all stages of the research data lifecycle, regardless of career stage. Students, early and senior professionals are all welcome.
Learn from lessons learned by others and implement their good practices to enhance the quality and effectiveness of your own research data-related activities.
Improve your competitive advantage in a professional setting, and position yourself for leadership within the broader research community.

Join the RDA as an Individual Member

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RDA Value Statement for Individuals

Download the Value Statement

The RDA for Newcomers

Find Your Way

The RDA spans technologies, disciplines and stakeholder groups. So where do you start? You can search the RDA website based on your stakeholder role, discover RDA groups you can join and get involved in, join regional communities and view RDA activities according to Research Data Management and Open Science focus areas (Pathways).

RDA Domain Ambassadors

Connect with the RDA domain ambassadors, RDA members active in their research specialties and willing to bring their knowledge of open science best practices to the RDA. You can contact an ambassador if you need someone to speak on a topic or facilitate a discussion. Visit the RDA Ambassadors page and find out more about the ambassadors and see who they are.

How does the RDA Community Collaborate?

Join or follow a group – discover Interest Groups, Working Groups and Communities of Practice by discipline, pathway, stakeholder role or interest. View the groups directory.
Start a new group – all RDA members can create new groups, or explore interest in new groups through Birds of a Feather sessions.
Attend an RDA plenary or event – RDA plenaries are held twice a year (one online and one in person) and throughout the year there are many other events taking place.
Participate in RDA community work – all RDA members can provide comments and feedback on new group proposals and outputs in community review. There are also RDA community consultations and initiatives to take part in.