BioDATA - is an international project on developing skills in biodiversity data management and data publishing. Undergraduate and postgraduate students from Tajikistan, Belarus, Ukraine, and Armenia will have an opportunity to take part in the intensive courses, gain practical skills and familiarize themselves with international research data infrastructures such as Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), international data standards (Darwin Core), software on data improvement, data publishing with the Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT), and preparation of data papers. Working with databases, creating datasets, managing data for statistical analyses and for publishing research papers are the everyday tasks of a modern biologist. At the same time, these skills are rarely taught in higher education. Most of the contemporary professionals in biodiversity have to gain these skills independently, through colleagues, or through supervision. In 2018-2021, BioDATA offers to undergraduate and postgraduate students from Tajikistan, Belarus, Ukraine, and Armenia, a unique opportunity to take part in the intensive courses (2 ECTS) to become certified professionals in biodiversity data management. The project is coordinated by the University of Oslo (Norway) and supported by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The project is funded by the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (DIKU).
