UARC Newsletter August 2026
Welcome back from the holiday period! The UARC was running strong in the holiday period, organizing additional Research Writing Sprints and preparing for our September events (see below for all the reminders!). We also have some exciting updates to share about the Open Knowledge Repository - and there are a lot of interesting conferences coming up!
Open Knowledge Repository updates
We are continuously improving our ways of working around the repository. Over the holiday period, the UARC worked on the Repository Resilience Policy to ensure that all the Repository information and data are stored securely.
Our second big update is that the team can now assign persistent identifiers or DOIs to the research outputs shared on the Repository! This means that the research outputs that you share on the Repository are more visible in the research output ecosystem - increasing the impact of your research outputs! We have started to assign DOIs and have updated the Output Collection Policy to communicate which research outputs will receive a DOI.
One of the other benefits is that if you now upload your research outputs to the Repository and receive a DOI, that this output will also be automatically added to your ORCID - if you turn this on in a setting:
To automatically add your works to your ORCID record, you first need to enable ORCID auto-update in your DataCite Profiles settings. Sign into DataCite Profiles and select "Click to Enable" next to "ORCID Auto-Update". After you have enabled this it should look like this:
Reminders: September UARC Events and Deadlines
UARC workshop: Research Ethics (1 September, 12-1 PM, MC Chapel). During this session, Bart van Donselaar and Francis Laclé will share their experiences regarding research ethics and small island research, and Pauline Veenendaal will go over the practicalities of the UA's Research Ethics application again. No sign-ups needed - you can email [email protected] if you would like to receive a calendar invite!
Open Science Community Aruba gathering (14 September at 12:00). For this meeting on Open Communication we are joined by the Center for Lifelong Learning to see how we can make research presentations more interesting for a wider public, and how to communicate research events better. Interested in the topic? Send us an email ([email protected]) to join us!
Send in your panel/workshop contributions for the Turning the Tide conference (October 2027) before 15 September 2026. The call for papers will open on 1 November 2026.
Join one of the Research Writing Sprints at the Research Center (for example, 31 August, 9-11 AM). Send an email to [email protected] for calendar invites!
Research Highlight: Small Island, Strong Democracy?
In this edited volume, Thaïs Franken, Rendell de Kort, Brechtje Huiskes, Hannah Meijer, Emma Pullen, Helmut Vink, Mieke de Droog, Luciano Milliard, Ghislaine Nicolaas and Wouter Veenendaal offer an analysis of the functioning of various political institutions on Aruba.
You can find the book and the slides and recording of the workshop the book is based on on our Open Knowledge Repository!
Conferences
The Virtual Island Summit is a free, global online conference that connects islanders worldwide to share knowledge, best practices, and innovative solutions for the unique challenges their communities face. Online, 15-17 September 2026. Register for free.
Save the Date: Dutch Caribbean Digital Competence Network Kick-Off Conference. Aruba, 10-12 November 2026.
The UWI Global Campus Climate Conference on Towards a Climate Smart Future: Resilience | Innovation | Adaptation. Grenada, April 7–9, Submit an abstract before 1 September 2026.
Save the Date: Second Caribbean Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Healthcare Conference on Aruba, 12–13 February 2027.
The 21st Islands of the World Conference Call for Abstracts is open until 15 October 2026. Conference theme: Navigating Challenges, Building Global Resilience: Island Solutions. Curaçao, 6–10 June 2027.