swissuniversities reports from ORD projects
Reports, summaries and a DelOS statement on Action Lines B5.1, B5.4 and C2.3
The funded projects in the Open Research Data dimension of the Open Science I and Open Science II programmes are published continuously on swissuniversities (SWU) page. Recently:
Action Line B5.1 (lead institution University of Bern) “Establish and maintain/update Swiss-wide best practices of ORD expertise”, aims to support the development of best practices in the field of data stewardship that could apply to all Swiss higher education and research institutions. Final report of mandate B5.1; Brief summary of final report
Action Line B5.4 (lead institution University of Basel), “Establish ORD expertise (e.g. data stewardship) as an independent career path at HEIs by 2028”, has the objective to analyse the needs as well as current and possible future challenges for HEIs to establish an independent career path for ORD expertise.
Final report of mandate B5.4, and the Inventory of training ; Brief summary of final report B5.4;Action Line C2.3, (lead institution Università della Svizzera Italiana) “Framework for systematic communication between trainers and data stewards to facilitate professionalisation and the exchange of experiences, best practices, needs, and to develop training modules”, plans to conduct a gap analysis on the status quo of RDM training and communication between trainers in Switzerland.
Final report on mandate C2.3; Brief summary of final report C2.3
Executive summary
The projects recommend that higher education institutions communicate clear ORD guidelines and requirements in a sustainable manner, establish sustainable support structures, and create incentives. Within the institutions, ORD-related support must be better coordinated and communicated more effectively. To professionalize and consolidate ORD support at Swiss higher education institutions, it is recommended that institutional recognition of ORD practices and roles be strengthened and that a distinction be made between RDM support and training roles. Broad access to (discipline-specific) training and mechanisms for career advancement are necessary. It is noted that sustainable financing mechanisms must be created to ensure long-term support for ORD-related tasks and services.
Read the Executive summary of ORD mandates B5.1, B5.4, and C2.3
Delegation Open Science statement on these reports
The Delegation Open Science (DelOS) validated the final reports of the three mandates and approved their publication. It should be noted that the projects and the resulting reports and recommendations are commissioned work that does not necessarily reflect the position of DelOS.
The DelOS supports the establishment of ORD support at higher education institutions and the recruitment of appropriate staff, as envisaged in the ORD Action Plan, and notes that institutional and discipline-specific characteristics must be taken into account during implementation. In the long term, RDM and ORD should become part of normal operations and researchers should be able to carry out RDM themselves, with the support of trained personnel if necessary. This is also the goal of Action Area C of the ORD Action Plan, which aims to enable researchers to develop ORD skills and exchange best practices. The DelOS also emphasizes that the creation of dedicated institutional solutions is desirable, particularly in view of the current national and cantonal cost-cutting measures, which also affect higher education institutions.
Read the DelOS statement on the final reports of ORD mandates B5.1, B5.4, and C2.3