Dachuan Zhang represents IUFoST at CODATA workshop on sustainable chemical data standards

From April 3–5, 2025, the DigSustain2: Digital Standards Sustainability Workshop brought together leading voices in the chemical sciences to address the challenges and opportunities surrounding the sustainability of chemical data standards. Held in Delitzsch, near Leipzig, Germany, the event was organized by the Committee on Data of the International Science Council (CODATA) and attracted key stakeholders from academia, industry, and international organizations.

Representing the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST), Dr. Dachuan Zhang participated in this high-level meeting to contribute the food science perspective to a growing conversation about standardizing and sustaining chemical data in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

The workshop emphasized the critical need for interoperable, reliable, and long-lasting chemical data standards—especially given their expanding role in fields such as AI, cheminformatics, regulatory reporting, and sustainable materials development. With over 200 million known compounds and a wide range of applications, consistent and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data practices are essential.

Over the three-day event, participants explored current gaps, reviewed existing efforts like InChI and CIF, and proposed the formation of a coalition dedicated to maintaining and evolving chemical data standards. This engagement reinforced IUFoST’s commitment to advancing global food science through collaboration and open data.