2026 Spring Meeting

CETAF Information Science & Technology Commission - Spring 2026 Meeting

Meise, May 21-22 2026

Venue

Meise Botanic Garden
Nieuwelaan 38
1860 Meise, Belgium

The meeting will take place in the Bouchout Castle, room Musa. Please register your attendance in the form below. A couple of days in advance of the event, you will receive an entrance ticket that allows you to enter the botanic garden.

Registration Form

https://forms.gle/gc2W8DiezxDGfWpB6

Tiny URL for taking notes

https://tinyurl.com/ym56b6p9

Participants

• Anton Güntsch (FUB-BGBM, DE)
• Dominik Röpert (FUB-BGBM, DE)
• Maarten Trekels (MeiseBG, BE)
• Francis Strobbe (RBINS, BE)
• Robert Cubey (RBGE, UK)
• Arianna Salili-James (NHM, UK)
• Stefan Seifert (SNSB, DE)
• Sabine von Mering (MfN, DE)
• Maxime Griveau (MNHN, FR)
• Peter Grobe (LIB, DE)
• Björn Quast (LIB, DE)
• Birgit Rach (LIB, DE)
• Jonas Grieb (SGN, DE)
• Kenzo Milleville (UGent, BE)
• Dilara Ağacık (UGent, BE)
• Wouter Addink (Naturalis, NL)
• Sam Leeflang (Naturalis, NL)
• Patricia Mergen (MeiseBG, RMCA,BE)
• Heimo Rainer (NHMW, AT)

Agenda

------------------------------------------------------------ Day 1 - May 21 ------------------------------------------------------------
12:00 - 13:00	Arrival and lunch
13:00 - 13:30	Welcome, introduction of participants, agenda, logistics
13:30 - 15:00	Subgroup "AI & Robotics for Collections" - Talk on Digitisation and DiSSCo EU / UK updates by Maarten Trekels & Arianna Salili-James - Talk on DiSSCo Annotation Model implementation by Sam Leeflang - Group workshop on AI and CMS Best Practices
15:00 - 15:30	Coffee break
15:30 - 17:00	Subgroup "Collection Management Systems (CMS)" - Results Group workshop on AI and CMS Best Practices - Talk on Changing CMS: feedback from MNHN, an approach focused on change management. by Maxime Griveau
17:00 - 18:30	Guided tour
18:30	End of day one
19:30 -	Dinner at To Be Announced (self paid)

------------------------------------------------------------ Day 2 - May 22 ------------------------------------------------------------
9:00 - 10:00	Type specimen initiative
10:00 - 11:00	TETTRIs Experts and Services Marketplace (Laura Tilley)
11:00 - 11:30	Coffee break
11:30 - 12:10	Presentations of ISTC-relevant projects and initiatives - Enhancing Earth Science specimen data (Laura Tilley) - Roadmaps for community review of a draft DiSSCo Annotations Acceptance Framework and draft Service Level agreement template (Wouter Addink) presentation - Update of the CETAF Stable Identifier Guide with Digital Specimen DOIs (Wouter Addink) presentation
12:10 - 12:30	Research Data Management in CETAF Member Organisations Round-table discussion of RDM documentations from CETAF organisations that can be compiled and made available in the ISTC wiki (see [1]).
12:30 - 13:00	Funding opportunities (Patricia Mergen)
13:00	End of meeting and opportunity for a light lunch

Logistics

Directions

Arriving by bus

You can easily reach us by De Lijn buses. Line R50 (Brussels-North - Meise - Londerzeel) stops right in front of the main entrance (stop Plantentuin Meise).

There is a bus service every 15 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays, and every 30 minutes on Sundays and public holidays. Plan your route here.

Payments can be made contactless on the bus, or you can download the De Lijn app and purchase your ticket(s) in advance. The app also offers (most of the time) live tracking of the bus, in case you are afraid of missing the bus stop.

For more information go to https://www.delijn.be.

Arriving by train

Take the train to Brussels-North or Londerzeel station.

Go to the NMBS website (https://www.belgiantrain.be/en) for the most recent travel information or use the NMBS app.

At the station, take bus R50, which will take you to the main entrance of the Botanic Garden.

Arriving by car

Meise Botanic Garden is situated along the A12 (Brussels-Antwerp). Take exit 3 Meise. Parking is available at the Empress Charlotte entrance.

The parking fee is €7. Exit tickets can be purchased at the following locations:

• at the ticketmachine in the parking lot
• at the ticketmachine on the Welcome Square
• at the ticket counter
• via contactless payment at the barrier upon exiting

Upon presentation of your parking ticket, you will receive a 3.5 euro discount in the Garden Shop (with a minimum purchase of 5 euros).

Short-term parking of up to 45 minutes is free. License plate recognition will automatically open the barrier when exiting within this time.

Our parking area offers 18 charging stations for electric vehicles, allowing you to conveniently recharge your car during your visit.

International visitors

From Brussels Airport we can be reached by a direct De Lijn bus connection (Zaventem-Merchtem line 21).

If you arrive by international train into Brussels-Midi, first take the train to Brussels-North where you will then take a direct bus connection (Line R50) to the main entrance of the Botanic Garden.

Hotels

Some suggestions of Hotels and BnBs are given here (will be updated later on). Using the bus to reach the botanic garden, you can also look for a hotel closer to the city center of Brussels (e.g. close to the 'Tour&Taxis' area).

Hotels

Thermae Hotel (**), Wolvertemsesteenweg 92, 1850 Grimbergen

Hotel Ibis Brussels Expo (**), Romeinse Steenweg 572, 1853 Strombeek-Bever

Holliday Inn Garden Court Brussels Expo (***), Keizerin Charlottelaan 6, 1020 Laken

Alfa Rijckendael Hotel (***), Luitberg 1, 1853 Strombeek-Bever

https://www.booking.com

Bed & Breakfasts

Sterckxhof, Kardinaal Sterckxlaan 17, 1860 Meise

Time to Escape, Humbeekstraat 29A, 1860 Meise

Het Lavershuis, Zavelberg 32, 1780 Wemmel

Green Cottage, Smidsestraat 14, 1785 Brussegem

't Verreveld, Heerbaan 132, 1840 Londerzeel