ARDC 2025 Annual Symposium of the HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons
The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) will host the 2025 Annual Symposium of the Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Indigenous Research Data Commons (HASS and Indigenous RDC) on 11–12 November 2025 at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), on Gadigal Country. The event will also be offered online, enabling participation from across Australia and internationally.
The Symposium is a key national forum for the HASS and Indigenous research communities. It will bring together academics, Indigenous knowledge custodians, infrastructure specialists, and policy makers to discuss advances in research data infrastructure that support the humanities, arts, social sciences, and Indigenous studies. Across two days, participants will explore how national-scale digital infrastructure can enhance collaboration, ensure data sovereignty, and enable new forms of research that respond to pressing cultural and social challenges.
The event will focus on the continuing development of the HASS and Indigenous RDC, which is investing in platforms and services that make research easier, faster, and more connected. A major emphasis this year will be placed on Indigenous Data Governance and Sovereignty, ensuring that research involving Indigenous knowledge and data is guided by ethical, culturally appropriate frameworks and is Indigenous-led.
Confirmed speakers include Jenny Fewster, Director of the HASS and Indigenous RDC at the ARDC; Laureate Professor Marcia Langton AO FASSA from the University of Melbourne; Professor Michael Haugh FAHA from The University of Queensland; Dr Amanda Lawrence from RMIT University; and Dr Bryoni Trezise from UNSW Sydney. Further speakers will be announced in the lead-up to the event.
We at Australian Internet Observatory will showcase our latest platform dashboard, workbench, tools and visualiser at the Symposium and also contribute to the panel discussion on future of Australian digital research infrastructure.
Registration is now open through Eventbrite, with further details available on the ARDC website.
The 2025 Symposium represents an important opportunity to reflect on the progress of Australia’s humanities, arts, social sciences, and Indigenous research communities, and to consider how shared digital infrastructure can be developed in ways that are ethical, inclusive, and impactful. Through events such as this, the HASS and Indigenous RDC continues to strengthen the foundations for research excellence and innovation across Australia’s cultural and intellectual landscape.