Research data are a primary output of research. Sharing and re-using quality-assured data is considered good scientific practice. It allows research findings to be verified or reproduced based on the original data, and it increases the value of the initial investment: researchers can build on previous results without having to spend money on reproducing data.
Sharing and re-use of data are key aspects of the transition to Open Science. This is reflected in initiatives such as the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).
Good research data management throughout the research process helps researchers to plan how, when, and where to share which data. Many research funding and research performing organisations have respective policies in place, especially for data management plans.
Science Europe aims to align such policies and requirements across Europe. This will make things easier for researchers from different organisations or disciplines to work together, and for researchers who change funders or home institutes. It will also make it easier for research organisations to evaluate data management plans and implement their own policies.
Science Europe also aims to ensure the sustainability of research data, including their long-term storage and accessibility. This requires research organisations and research data infrastructures to establish the necessary framework conditions, including organisational policies, technical preparedness, financial solutions, and training.
Science Europe actively promotes the principle that research data should be FAIR. It works with its member organisations and other stakeholders to align policies and procedures, and to provide clear guidelines to support researchers in their data management.
Science Europe represents the interests of its member organisations in the development and implementation of EOSC. It is an observer member of the EOSC Association (EOSC-A) and is represented in its General Assembly. Science Europe is also directly involved in two EOSC-A task forces, cf. Research Careers, Recognition, and Credit and Long-term Data Preservation. Through this engagement Science Europe stays at the forefront of data sharing developments in Europe.
Science Europe and its member organisations have developed practical guidelines on research data management. A series of publications offer practical guidance to aligning policies across disciplines and across organisations. Science Europe has also collected and made available good practices from research funding and performing organisations that have successfully implemented data management policies to help guide organisations still setting them up.
Research funding and performing organisations, and research data infrastructures are key actors to set a framework that supports researchers in their research data management and that ensures the long-term preservation, accessibility, and interoperability of research data, that is sustainable research data. Science Europe has created a tool that facilitates common understanding on necessary policies and practices and supports the development of organisational agendas for sustainable research data.
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On the occasion of the International Open Access Week 2022 (OA Week 2022) from 24 - 30 October Science Europe reaffirms Open Science as a cross-cutting priority and puts a spotlight on the many activities, initiatives and events carried out in the past months.
Ahead of discussions on 4 July in the European Parliament, Science Europe highlights its concerns regarding the potential impact of the Digital Services Act on the research and education sectors and the legal uncertainty that it is likely to create.
Research organisations, libraries, repositories, and university networks call for the the exclusion of not-for-profit repositories, digital archives, and libraries from the obligations of the Digital Services Act.
FAIRsFAIR has released additional guidance on making Data Management Plans FAIR, based on the January 2021 Science Europe DMP guidance.
We are pleased to announce that Science Europe is now issuing Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for its publications and depositing its publications on the Zenodo platform.
On 27 January 2021, Science Europe presented the second, extended version of its Practical Guide to the International Alignment of Research Data Management during a webinar with more than 260 participants.
As it was unfortunately not possible to address all questions participants asked during the launch event, this document presents the answers to the questions asked to both Science Europe and the webinar speakers.
The interoperability and sustainability of research data are an indispensable element of the shift towards an Open Science system. At this event, Science Europe presented strategic guidance for research performers, funders, and data infrastructures to help ensure long-term preservation and accessibility of research data.
This Practical Guide provides guidance to ensure the long-term preservation and accessibility of research data. Three complementary maturity matrices provide funders, performers, and data infrastructures with a way to create a common understanding of the approaches needed.
The Science Europe General Assembly adopted the creation of a new working group on Open Science (WG OS) to develop a comprehensive approach towards the topic. WG OS will provide a platform to bring together the Open Science aspects embedded in all activities of Science Europe. It will also broaden the scope of our work in the area, to fulfill the objectives described in the new Science Europe Strategy and Multi-annual Action Plan.
The year 2020 saw a global pandemic attest to the value of science. In the race for COVID-19 treatments and vaccines, Science Europe’s Member Organisations were at the forefront of the global response and our association became more relevant and important than ever.