The World Data System (WDS) and the Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA)—sister interdisciplinary bodies under the umbrella of the International Science Council—actively promote effective data policies and good data management practices in the research community, to produce better science, and thus to ultimately benefit society. As a major contribution to this effort, the two organizations announced in autumn 2013 that they would be co-sponsoring and co-organizing a new, high-profile international biennial conference series, SciDataCon. With the aim of becoming the world's principal scientific research data event, SciDataCon builds on WDS’ and CODATA’s individual conferences by provide a unique platform for bringing together a diverse multidisciplinary audience that is far greater than the simple combination of two communities, and that includes international experts and practitioners in data management and technologies, researchers from the Natural Sciences and Social Sciences, research funders, and policy makers.