Join the Swiss Open Academic Data (SOAD) community

EPFL and ETH Zurich are pleased to introduce the emerging Swiss Open Academic Data (SOAD) community. Our goal is to bring together academic professionals from across Switzerland to explore the many ways open academic data can drive innovation—be it through sharing real-world use cases of how Swiss institutions leverage open data, improving overall data quality, establishing best practices, or uncovering insightful analyses that these data sets make possible.

What Will SOAD Offer?

SOAD aims to be a space for participants of all experience levels to engage with the latest trends and opportunities around open academic data. Topics might include reconciling multiple data sources like OpenAIRE, OpenAlex, and ORCID, applying machine learning methods to gain institutional insights, or developing novel visualizations or tools that help transform complex information into actionable knowledge. We also welcome further topics of interest.

Help Shape SOAD’s Future

Our first SOAD Day is planned for Wednesday, September 10, 2025, at ETH Zurich. Leading up to this event, we invite you to share your thoughts on what would make this community most valuable. By filling out our brief form, you can influence the agenda, suggest focus areas, and highlight practical challenges and successes that deserve wider attention.

Ready to Contribute?

Click here to fill out the form and help shape SOAD’s future.

We look forward to your participation and to building a supportive, vibrant community that empowers Swiss institutions to fully embrace and benefit from open academic data.

Simon Willemin (ETH Library) and Gaël Bernard (EPFL)

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Dr Gaël Bernard

Dr Gaël Bernard is a Data Scientist at EPFL’s Academic Data unit, specializing in academic data analysis and promoting Open Science. He holds a PhD in Information Systems.

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