I’m pleased to announce that nominations for ORCID’s Board of Directors are now open. As a community-built organization, ORCID is governed by a Board that is representative of its membership and wider community stakeholders. The ORCID Board fulfills an important role in the organization’s governance by providing strategic guidance and oversight for the successful achievement of ORCID’s mission. Our Board members are elected for three-year terms on a staggered schedule, so every year, we hold elections to appoint new members to the Board. More information is available in the ORCID Board Charter.

This is your opportunity to participate in ORCID’s governance and represent your organization on ORCID’s Board. 

Member-Director Nominations

The ORCID Board nominations process gives ORCID member organizations a direct voice in the ORCID’s direction and priorities. Our annual elections are an important part of ORCID’s commitment to open and transparent stakeholder governance, and the election process ensures that ORCID grows and develops in close partnership with its member organizations. 

All ORCID member organizations are eligible to nominate a representative to stand for election to serve as a Member-Director on the Board. 

This year, we are looking to fill up to four Member-Director board seats. To apply to be a Member-Director, you must be affiliated with an ORCID member organization.

Selection Criteria

Each year, our Board establishes criteria for the selection of new Board members in order to maintain the balance of skills necessary to govern the organization, and to ensure diverse representation from ORCID’s stakeholder communities. This year, in seeking perspectives and skills complementary to those of continuing Board members, the Nominating Committee will be specifically looking for candidates who meet two or more of the following:

• Have a track record of advocating on behalf of ORCID within their region and community
• Are knowledgeable about ORCID and/or other scholarly infrastructure services
• Represent one of the following stakeholder groups: funders, government, or policy makers
• Have financial expertise 
• Have experience in organizational governance

Board qualifications and expectations

Supported by the Executive Director and a full-time professional staff, the ORCID Board is responsible for:

• Developing and regularly updating ORCID’s strategic plan
• Reviewing high-level organizational goals and policies to support that plan
• Overseeing ORCID’s organizational and financial performance
• Ensuring ORCID has financial resources to achieve its mission
• Monitoring Board function
• Appointing the Executive Director and reviewing their performance 
• Serving as a community advocate for ORCID

More information about the Board’s role and responsibilities can be found in the Board Charter. 

If elected, new Board members will serve for a period of three years, starting in February 2026. Board Directors are expected to attend all Board meetings—currently there are four meetings a year, two virtual, and two in person—and to play an active role in ORCID activities during the course of their term, including serving on one or two Board committees. 

 All meetings are conducted in English and applicants must be fluent in English. 

Time Commitment

In-person Board meetings typically last two days and take place in March and September. The meetings are hosted by member organizations in different regions across the globe. Board members are expected to travel to attend in-person board meetings. To help achieve our goal of broad representation across sectors and regions, a Board Meeting Attendance Fund is available to reduce financial barriers to participation in Board meetings for those Directors whose organizations are unable to support their travel costs. 

Virtual Board meetings take place in May and November and are four hours each. Virtual Board meetings are split across two days to best accommodate the wide range of time zones on our global Board. This means meetings may take place outside of your standard working hours. 

In addition to attending Board meetings, Board members are expected to serve on one or two Board committees each year. With the exception of the Executive Committee, Board committees generally meet virtually four times a year. Meetings tend to be one hour and may be held outside of your normal working hours due to the time zone constraints of other committee members. More information around committee roles and responsibilities can be found in the committee charters listed on our governance page. 

Board members are responsible for reviewing meeting materials and making substantive contributions to the work of the Board and its committees.

Nominating Committee & Elections Process

As this year’s Chair of the Nominating Committee, I look forward to working closely with the other Committee members on this process: 

• Soledad Bravo, Cincel, Chile (Board Member)
• Paul Gemmill, Research on Research Institute, UK (External Member)
• Lasith Gunawardena, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka (Board Member)
• Kalynn Kennon, University of Oxford, UK (Board Member)
• Carly Robinson, Department of Energy, USA (Board Member)
• Karin Wulf, Brown University, USA (External Member)

The role of the Nominating Committee is to:

• select a slate of candidates that is balanced and diverse
• ensure that all of the skills needed to govern the organization are present among Board members 
• ensure that the many different sectors and regions that make up ORCID’s community are represented
• Ensure the ORCID bylaw requirements are met in that a majority of Board seats are occupied by not-for-profit organizations.

Annual reports and other governance information is available on our Governance web page.

Key Dates

We will consider all nominations received by 27 June, 2025. The slate will be presented to the current Board for approval at its September meeting, after which it will be announced publicly. Our voting members then have the choice of either voting for the slate or proposing additional candidates (within 30 days of the slate being announced), in which case the election will become a plurality vote by candidate. To propose additional candidates, a group of 20 or more member organizations must submit a nomination in writing to ORCID before 31 October, 2025. Note that the group may not include more than one member per consortium (for specific details, see Article III, Section 2b of ORCID’s Bylaws). We will send notifications and open the election by electronic ballot on 3 November, 2025. 

Date	Activity
22 May	Call for Board nominations
27 June	Closing date for Board nominations
July – August	Nominating Committee to review nominations
17-18  September	Nominating Committee presents slate for Board approval
1 October	Slate made public
31 October	Closing date for alternative nominations
3 November	Voting opens
20 November	Voting closes, results announced at virtual members’ meeting
March 2026	Elected members start their term at the first Board meeting of the year. (Tentatively March; Exact date to be confirmed)

How to Apply

Please nominate yourself, encourage a colleague to apply, or nominate another individual (with their permission), using our nomination form:

• Member Representative Director Nomination Form

As a reminder, to be eligible to serve as a Member-Director on the Board, you must be an employee, officer or director of a current ORCID member organization. You can find the full list of ORCID member organizations here. 

As an organization, we are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We strive to have a Board that reflects our diverse community and we encourage individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups to apply to serve on the Board.

We look forward to receiving your nominations over the coming months.

If you are thinking about nominating yourself but aren’t sure or have questions, please get in touch at nominations@orcid.org. Remember, the deadline for nominations is 27 June, 2025.

The post Nominations Now Open for ORCID Board Elections 2026! appeared first on ORCID.

I am excited to share two exciting opportunities for researchers to become involved in ORCID’s governance: serving as a Researcher-Director on ORCID’s Board of Directors and serving on the ORCID Researcher Advisory Council.

Researcher-Director Seat on the Board—nominations now open

ORCID is governed by a Board of Directors that is representative of its membership and wider community of stakeholders. The ORCID Board is responsible for ensuring the organization is acting in the best interests of ORCID’s community by providing strategic guidance and oversight for the successful achievement of ORCID’s mission.

ORCID Board members are elected for three-year terms on a staggered schedule, so every year, we hold elections to appoint new Directors. Two Researcher-Director Board seats are reserved for practicing scholars, irrespective of their ORCID member affiliation. This year, we are looking to fill one Researcher-Director Board seat.

Board Responsibilities

Supported by the Executive Director and a full-time professional staff, the ORCID Board is responsible for:

• Developing and regularly updating ORCID’s strategic plan
• Reviewing high-level organizational goals and policies to support that plan
• Overseeing ORCID’s organizational and financial performance
• Ensuring ORCID has financial resources to achieve its mission
• Monitoring Board function
• Appointing the Executive Director and reviewing their performance
• Serving as a community advocate for ORCID

Researcher-Directors also serve as co-chairs of the ORCID Researcher Advisory Council, and serve as a link between the Council and the Board.

If elected, new Board members will serve for a period of three years, starting in March 2026. Note that ORCID Board members serve as uncompensated volunteers. All Board meetings are conducted in English and applicants must be fluent in English.

For more information about the role of ORCID Board members, please see the Board Charter. Our annual reports and other governance information are also available on our website.

2026 Board Selection Criteria

Each year, our Board establishes criteria for the selection of new Board members in order to maintain the balance of skills necessary to govern the organization, and to ensure diverse representation from ORCID’s stakeholder communities. This year, in seeking perspectives and skills complementary to those of continuing Board members, the Nominating Committee will give preference to researcher representative candidates who display two or more of the following characteristics:

• Are researchers knowledgeable and enthusiastic about ORCID
• Have a track record of advocating on behalf of ORCID in their communities
• Have experience or a keen interest in organizational governance

Board Time Commitment

Board Directors are expected to attend all Board meetings—currently there are four meetings a year, two virtual, and two in person—and to play an active role in ORCID activities during the course of their term, including serving on one or two Board committees.

In-person Board meetings typically last two days and take place in March and September. The meetings are hosted by member organizations in different regions across the globe. Board members are expected to travel to attend in-person board meetings. ORCID covers the travel costs for the Researcher-Directors to attend in-person Board meetings.

Virtual Board meetings take place in May and November and are four hours each. Virtual Board meetings are split across two days to best accommodate the wide range of time zones on our global Board. This means meetings may take place outside of your standard working hours.

In addition to attending Board meetings, Board members are expected to serve on one or two Board committees each year. With the exception of the Executive Committee, Board committees generally meet virtually four times a year. Meetings tend to be one hour and may be held outside of your normal working hours due to the time zone constraints of other committee members. More information around committee roles and responsibilities can be found in the committee charters listed on our governance page.

Board members are responsible for reviewing meeting materials and making substantive contributions to the work of the Board and its committees.

ORCID Researcher Advisory Council (ORAC)—nominations now open

Although the ORCID Board has long had two seats reserved for Researcher-Directors, the Board focuses on organizational governance and cannot represent the full breadth of the researcher community. To ensure that we keep researchers at the center of everything we do at ORCID, the Board created the ORCID Researcher Advisory Council (ORAC) in 2021. ORAC is a diverse group of researchers who provide valuable perspective and advice to ORCID staff and the ORCID Board as we seek to ensure that ORCID provides value and utility to researchers and aids in the process of research and innovation.

Council members meet virtually twice a year. These meetings are generally an hour long; due to the wide distribution of timezones may take place outside of your standard working hours. In between meetings, Council members are invited to participate in an online forum to discuss and consult on topics as they arise. Council members serve for a two-year term.

 All meetings are conducted in English and applicants must be fluent in English.

Key Dates for Board Nominations

We will consider all nominations received by 27 June, 2025. The slate will be presented to the current Board for approval at its September meeting, after which it will be announced publicly. Our voting members then have the choice of either voting for the slate or proposing additional candidates (within 30 days of the slate being announced), in which case the election will become a plurality vote by candidate. To propose additional candidates, a group of 20 or more member organizations must submit a nomination in writing to ORCID before 31 October, 2025. Note that the group may not include more than one member per consortium (for specific details, see Article III, Section 2b of ORCID’s Bylaws). We will send notifications and open the election by electronic ballot on 3 November, 2025.

Date	Activity
22 May	Call for Board nominations
27 June	Closing date for Board nominations
July – August	Nominating Committee to review nominations
17-18  September	Nominating Committee presents slate for Board approval
1 October	Slate made public
31 October	Closing date for alternative nominations
3 November	Voting opens
20 November	Voting closes, results announced at virtual members’ meeting
March 2026	Elected members start their term at the first Board meeting of the year. (Tentatively March; Exact date to be confirmed)

How to Apply

If you are interested in serving on the Board and/or ORAC, you may nominate yourself or a colleague (with their permission) by completing our nomination form.

• Researcher-Director and ORAC Nomination Form

Nominations must be received by 27 June.

All applications received for Board seats will be reviewed by the ORCID Nominating Committee, which is responsible for developing the Board election slate based on the nominations received, taking into account this year’s selection criteria as indicated above, and maintaining a majority of representatives of non-profit organizations on the Board as required by ORCID’s bylaws. Please note that the Nominating Committee may follow up with you after you submit your application to schedule an interview, complete a board skills survey, or ask follow-up questions.

Applications for ORAC will be considered by ORCID staff and successful candidates will be invited to join ORAC by the Executive Director once the Nominating Committee has completed its work for the year.

If you are unable to complete this online form, please send your responses to nominations@orcid.org.

As an organization, we are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We strive to have a Board and Council that reflect our diverse community, and we encourage individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups to apply to serve.

If you have specific questions about Board service, ORAC, or the nominations process, you can email us at nominations@orcid.org

We look forward to receiving your nominations over the coming months.

If you are thinking about nominating yourself but aren’t sure or have questions, please get in touch at nominations@orcid.org. Remember, the deadline for nominations is 27 June, 2025.

The post Calling all Researchers! ORCID Board Seat and Researcher Advisory Council Seat Nominations Now Open appeared first on ORCID.

JST and ORCID are coordinating efforts to adopt ORCID and other Persistent Identifiers (PIDs) through the research data lifecycle and administrative best practices.

Bethesda, MD, USA (May 12, 2025)— JST and ORCID are pleased to announce they have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, agreeing to coordinate efforts to promote the adoption of ORCID and other Persistent Identifiers (PIDs) through the research data lifecycle in Japan and adopt administrative best practices.

The organizations will engage together on a variety of initiatives and activities aimed at building awareness of and encouraging Japanese researchers to actively engage with both JST and ORCID services. They will work collaboratively toward integrating ORCID into JST Services, such as researchmap where possible and desired, to the benefit of the Japanese researcher community, and will build awareness of PIDs as a critical part of research infrastructure and policy.

Hiroyuki Kaneko, Vice President, JST said:

“We expect that the signing of the MOC between JST and ORCID, a world-leading registry promoting persistent identifiers (PIDs) for researchers, will give significant momentum to the adoption of PIDs. We hope that this collaboration will support better coordination between ORCID’s services and JST’s information platforms and improve the global visibility of Japanese researchers through ORCID’s international network. Ultimately, we believe this initiative will contribute to the international circulation of talented researchers.”

Chris Shillum, Executive Director, ORCID said:

“ORCID is pleased to build on our long history of engagement with Japanese researchers and universities by collaborating with JST to benefit Japan’s research community. We are particularly excited by the aim to integrate critical Japanese research information systems such as researchmap with ORCID’s global infrastructure, bringing increased visibility to Japanese researchers internationally, and allowing research administrators in Japan to better understand the scope of international collaborations. We are honored that JST is the first high-level governmental funding agency in Asia that has agreed to collaborate with us in this way, and we look forward to working together to promote the use of PIDs in Japan and more broadly across the world.”

---

About JST–JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency) is a national research and development Agency that plays a central role in the Science, Technology and Innovation Basic Plan and aims to promote science and technology. In order to promote science and technology and provide solutions to social issues, JST comprehensively implements diverse projects in collaboration with universities, research institutions, and industries in Japan and overseas, and makes contributions to the sustainable development of society and the creation of science, technology, and innovation. Learn more at https://www.jst.go.jp

About ORCID–ORCID’s vision is a world where all who participate in research and innovation, from imagining to building and managing, are uniquely identified and connected to their contributions across disciplines, borders, and time. ORCID seeks to reduce administrative burden for researchers and help organizations understand the impact of the research they are facilitating or funding by providing an identifier for individuals to use with their name as they engage in research and innovation activities, as well as the tools that enable transparent and trustworthy connections between researchers, their contributions, and affiliations. Learn more at https://orcid.org.

The post Press Release – JAPAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AGENCY (JST) AND ORCID PARTNER TO BENEFIT RESEARCHERS appeared first on ORCID.

In 2014, Denmark took a significant step towards enhancing research visibility and integrity by launching its national consortium, dedicated to integrating ORCID into the country’s research infrastructure. In 2024, together with celebrating its decade of existence, it expanded to 11 members, including now universities, hospitals, and research organizations.

Building trust through verified research information

With nearly 1.5 million data entries (employment, education, works, and personal identifiers) contributed to ORCID records, the Danish consortium plays a key role in ensuring the credibility of researcher profiles. These verified affiliations, works, and personal identifier details act as Trust Markers, signaling that the information is accurate and institutionally endorsed. Trust Markers help mitigate misinformation and contribute to strengthening trust throughout the entire research ecosystem, making ORCID profiles a reliable source for research assessment and collaboration.


Figure 1. Examples of data added to the Employment and Works sections by Danish consortium members. In both, the source is clearly identified with the corresponding Trust Marker.

Seamless integration across Denmark’s research landscape

The future of research assessment in Denmark

As persistent identifiers (PIDs) gain traction, ORCID is being recognized by the Danish community as a key component in transparent and fair research assessment frameworks.

Figure 2. Aalborg University Research Indicator, where ORCID and PIDs are key components in the Open Science Part. Source:  https://doi.org/10.54337/aau524581687 

Denmark is actively exploring how Trust Markers and PIDs can contribute to more reliable evaluation practices, drawing inspiration from international initiatives like PID Network Deutschland and Australia’s PID efforts.

What’s next for the Danish Consortium?

For the Danish community, the focus remains on strengthening integrations, expanding engagement, and ensuring researchers and institutions maximize the benefits of ORCID. Annual consortium meetings continue to drive discussions and collaboration around ORCID advocacy, interoperability, and data contributions.

The Consortium aims to remain actively involved in the global implementation of ORCID and continue supporting work around persistent identifiers (PIDs) more broadly. Maintaining this global perspective is crucial for ensuring Denmark stays aligned with international best practices. There have been ongoing discussions about how it could contribute to developing a national Danish PID strategy. The Consortium invites stakeholders across Denmark to join this conversation and collaborate in shaping a strong, coordinated approach to PIDs for research and innovation.

Read about other Top Data Contributors on our blog. If you are interested in forming an ORCID Consortium, visit our website for how to get started.

Contributor

Poul Meier Melchiorsen
Danish Consortium Lead

Poul joined Aalborg University Library in 2011 to work in the Pure administration team. The team covers registration, dissemination, and analysis of research output. Poul specializes in research intelligence and management information at all levels. Focus for Poul is how to create research evaluation at a full-fledged university with research in most areas ranging from STEM over Health Sciences to SSH and how to document societal impact of research.

The last years Poul has been involved in reform of research assessment and took part in developing the Coalition for Reform of Research Assessment (CoARA) inspired Aalborg University Research Indicator. Two current tasks are planning of an EU High-Level presidency conference on reform of research assessment and participation in start-up of a Danish CoARA network. Since 2018 Poul has been lead of the Danish ORCID Consortium.

Poul holds a MA in Philosophy and Physics from University of Southern Denmark and a Master in IT from Aalborg University.

The post ORCID Danish Consortium: Over a Decade Advancing Research Integration and Trust in Denmark appeared first on ORCID.

ORCID’s Global Participation Fund (GPF) has now awarded its fifth round of applicants since the program began in 2022. The GPF was established for the purpose of providing grants to Increase Global Participation in ORCID, one of the four strategic priorities in our 2022–25 strategic plan. The recent awardees will utilize the funding to create ORCID Communities of Practice in currently under-represented regions in the Global South.

The GPF program offers grants for both Community Development and Outreach and Technical Integration. This round of awardees will receive a total of US$106,138, and the GPF program has awarded US$465,294 since its inception.

Read more about the GPF funders who have forgiven all or part of their startup loans to ORCID to enable this program’s success.

Grants for Community Development and Outreach

Grants for Technical Integration

Next round opens soon!

Read more about the GPF application process, read the GPF FAQs, and register for the informational webinar on 13 May to learn how to submit an application using our new grant submission system. The next round of applications will be announced in the coming weeks.

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