The third edition of the Master in Data Management and Curation (MDMC) has officially begun on September 22, 2026, opening a programme that will run through June 30, 2027, and that is dedicated to the responsible, informed management of research data. Promoted by Area Science Park and SISSA – Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati the Master brings together the expertise of both organisations to offer an interdisciplinary programme grounded equally in theory and hands-on practice.
At a time when data management and AI are becoming ever more intertwined in scientific research, the goal of MDMC is to provide participants with the tools they need to work across the full lifecycle of research data from its initial production through its long-term preservation and reuse, in line with the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and Open Science practices.
Throughout the academic year, participants will learn to design "FAIR-by-design" data workflows, to create and optimise metadata that make data more findable and interoperable. They will also work with advanced tools and technologies for the long-term curation and preservation of data in trusted repositories and will have possibility to access ORFEO, the advanced AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructure of Area Science Park. The curriculum also addresses the legal, ethical and regulatory dimensions of research data and digital infrastructures, an increasingly central concern within complex research environments.
The new edition opens with a cohort of 17 participants (14 full-time students and 3 auditors), whose composition and backgrounds reflect the cross-disciplinary nature of data curation itself. The average age of participants is 33, with ages ranging from 23 to 48: a spread that shows how the Master manages to attract both early-career professionals and people who already have years of hands-on experience.
Nine nationalities are represented alongside Italy: Argentina, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland. Equally varied are the academic backgrounds participants bring with them, spanning physics, mathematics, molecular biology and functional genomics, information science and artificial intelligence, as well as psychology, meteorology, software engineering and scientific translation.
Adding a further layer of diversity to the group are the participants' current professional roles, which range from academic research positions, including PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers and research fellows, to roles in the private sector, including banking and technology.
Over the course of the academic year, that will run through June 30, 2027, the Master will host a series of in-depth public seminars. The seminars will not be limited to MDMC participants; they will be open to anyone who wishes to learn more about data management or simply get a feel for the Master’s program and experience the course content firsthand. The full seminar calendar, along with ongoing updates on the third edition's activities, will be published progressively on this website.