Summer School: From Data to Discovery
Digital research data opens up new possibilities for the computer-assisted analysis and interpretation of information collected on cultural heritage. However, this requires a reliable database that has been processed and prepared for this purpose. The DAI’s Central Scientific Services (ZWD) are organising a summer school in Berlin from 18 to 20 August 2026, aimed at advanced undergraduates and PhD students in archaeology, classical studies and related disciplines. The summer school focuses on applied methods for the preparation and processing of research data, as a prerequisite for machine-assisted procedures.
Objectives:
Participants will learn how to structure and annotate archaeological research data from various sources and formats (text, images, geodata, 3D models, SQL databases) and make it suitable for further processing. In addition to the technical aspects, the course will also address ethical and legal issues, as well as questions of sustainable data management (traceability, reproducibility, etc.) regarding research data and results. Particular emphasis is placed on practical applicability: students work with real archaeological data and use modern open source tools to develop their own data-driven workflows.
Key topics:
- Fundamentals of data management and quality assurance; ethical and legal aspects, FAIR principles and metadata standards; reproducibility and reusability
- Fundamentals of data processing; data extraction, transformation and cleaning; handling incomplete and inconsistent data; conversion to standardised formats
- Data modelling, structuring and storage; database management systems and query languages Processing and analysis of spatially referenced data/geodata; fundamentals of geographic information systems (GIS)
- Processing of text data
- Data publication
- Outlook: Scenarios for the use of AI with comparable datasets
Notes and application guidelines
Subject to the availability of funds, the DAI will cover accommodation and travel costs for journeys within Germany in accordance with the Federal Travel Expenses Act. Travel from abroad may be funded to a limited extent; places are allocated in this case on a first-come, first-served basis. No further allowances (daily allowances, etc.) can be provided. Apart from a snack on the training days, participants are responsible for their own meals. Technical equipment (laptop, etc.) must be brought by the participants. The languages of the course are German and English.
If you wish to take part in the Summer School, please send your informal application as single PDF file by 19 June 2026 at the latest to: zwdleitung@dainst.de. Please enclose your CV, a short, informal letter of recommendation from a university lecturer and a letter of motivation of no more than one page. Please also indicate whether you require accommodation and your point of arrival and departure within Germany.