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This year’s DAFNI (Data and Analytics Facility for National Infrastructure) Annual Conference is being held at The Edge, University of Sheffield, S10 3ED on Thursday 11th September 2025.

Book your place here! 

The theme of the 2025 conference is ‘Bridging the gap between Academia, Government and Industry.’

Including the sub-themes:

  • Climate Resilience
  • Security and Trusted Research

Please see below for our outline agenda for the day including our exciting keynote speakers, invited speakers and panellists!

Further information will be updated here soon!

Tickets – £50 standard, £25 for students

09:00 Arrival – Breakfast networking

09:30 Welcome, Introduction and DAFNI Fellows announcement

09:45 Keynote presentation

SPEAKERS

Juliet Mian

ARUP

10:15 Update on DAFNI

SPEAKERS

Dr Bethan Perkins, DAFNI Group Lead

Bethan Perkins

DAFNI

10:35 Networking Break

11:00 INVITED SPEAKERS SESSION

SALIENT
Dr Richard Kirkham, University of Manchester

Climate Change Committee
Rachael Steller, Climate Change Committee

CROSSEU
Professor Nicholas Vasilakos, University of East Anglia

12:00 Networking lunch, poster session and demonstrations

13:30 Keynote presentation

Sarah Hayes, Connected Places Catapult

14:00 DSIT Pilot Project Outputs

Olly Tones, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

14:20 DINI Project results and recommendations

SPEAKERS

Dr Brian Matthews

Dr Brian Matthews

DAFNI Programme Lead, Scientific Computing, STFC

14:40 Networking Break

15:05 Trusted Research Panel

  • Emily Jefferson, Health Data Research UK
  • Jason Feehily, University of Nottingham
  • David Batho, Jisc
  • Tash Buckley, Cranfield University
  • Kathryn Dally, UK Research Integrity Office

15:55 From hackathon to legislation - the journey of NUAR

Holger Kessler, AtkinsRéalis

16:15 National Water Resources Quality Modelling: From research to delivery

  • Paul Hickey, Ofwat
  • Jonny Wilson, Environment Agency

16:35 Conference closing remarks

SPEAKERS

Dr Brian Matthews

Dr Brian Matthews

DAFNI

17:00 Close of Conference