2026 BTSCON: Tools of the trade; Integrating tools into BTS infrastructure - Day 2

2026 BTSCON: Tools of the trade; Integrating tools into BTS infrastructure - Day 2 Presenter(s): Francis Yuen, Erin Buchanan, & the CONNECT Tools and Infrastructure working group, featuring Mika Braginsky & Michael Frank Effective large-scale collaborations rely heavily on efficient workflows, infrastructure, and tools. However, selecting the “best tool for the job” is difficult for several reasons: Tools may have prohibitively high costs, steep learning curves, or ethical and privacy concerns. Collaborators’ diverse preferences and constraints further complicate tool adoption, leaving many researchers unaware of accessible, interoperable alternatives. To address these gaps, this two-day hackathon will consist of two independent components. On the first day, we will share findings from a survey of Big Team Science (BTS) networks, which investigated the prevalence of existing tools (e.g., Staple) and the factors most valued in tool selection. This work revealed that interoperability and cost are among the most important factors. At the same time, it showed that many low-cost or free tools which also boast exceptional interoperability are underused, with the majority of participants reporting that they have never heard of these tools. Thus, to bridge this gap in knowledge and help alleviate the existing reliance on expensive, isolated ecosystems built by megacorporations (e.g., Google), the rest of day 1 will showcase powerful tools such as Staple and Hackmd that are currently used in large-scale, international collaborations. On the second day we will hold formal tutorials in breakout rooms for individual tools, and discuss how they can be integrated into researchers’ existing workflows. This part will allow researchers to identify the benefits and limits of each software to facilitate their integration in their personal workflows. This hackathon is organized as part of CONNECT (Coordinated Network of Networks for Enhancing Collaborative Teams), a SSHRC-funded partnership aimed at strengthening collaboration and capacity-building across BTS projects. It is hosted by the Infrastructure and Tools Working Group, which leads efforts in overseeing the identification of existing tools and the development of new tools to facilitate BTS. recorded Oct 7, 2026 bigteamscienceconference.github.io