What is research data?
Research data means data in the form of facts (figures, symbols, texts, images or sounds) that are used as primary sources of scientific research and are necessary to validate its findings (quote from UNIMI's RDM policy). Research data management throughout its lifecycle is a very complex process that must be accurately set up according to international standards defining its key features.
What is FAIR data?
To meet the expectations of the European Commission and comply with Open Science policies, the data must be:
- Findable: traceable and described using recognized standard metadata sets (e.g. Dublin Core) and unique identifiers (e.g. DOI)
- Accessible: the data must always be accessible upon a justified request, and must be open whenever possible
- Interoperable: it must be read and processed by FAIR-compliant systems
- Reusable: it must come with a license detailing permitted uses and with all the documents required for re-using the data
What are the tools for FAIR and open research data management provided by my University?
UNIMI provides all its affiliated researchers with a template and dedicated support for writing a Data Management Plan: it is the tool available to researchers for planning the collection, storage, description and dissemination of research data and metadata according to FAIR principles. The plan must be completed within 6 months of the project approval and is one of the mandatory deliverables for funded projects, barring an opt-out. Research data management is a complex process; that is why it is important to set its general guidelines and framework at the beginning of a project.
UNIMI provides as well an installation of Dataverse (an open source software developed by the University of Harvard) as institutional repository for managing and sharing (whether open or closed) FAIR research data. The repository is also certified with the CoreTrustSeal and can benefit from dedicated support.
What is open data?
Open Data is data that can be used, edited and shared by anyone, for any reason, provided that their origin and open access are preserved.
What is the European Commission's policy on research data?
The European Commission, as well as other sponsors, requires funding beneficiaries (Horizon Europe, ERC) to make the resulting research findings available for open access. Research findings are the scientific publications and the underlying data generated during the study. The Commission requires data to be available in a repository in line with FAIR principles, and with as few restrictions as possible. Starting with Horizon Europe, the DMP is also part of the project proposal: check Horizon Europe, open science.
Should European-funded research data always be open?
The data must be as open as possible, as closed as necessary. Not all data can be open, but must still be accessible. It is possible to opt out (on justified grounds) at any stage of the project if:
- the project is not expected to generate data
- there would be a breach of the General Data Protection Regulation
- the data must be used for patenting procedures
- the project objectives may be undermined by open data
- It is also possible to make only some datasets open.
What is the European Open Science Cloud?
The European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) is an European Commission's initiative to build a competitive and data-based European knowledge economy. It is a virtual place consisting of federated and interoperable infrastructures, which brings together researchers and service providers pursuing the common goal of FAIR data management and the creation of a shared language, beyond national borders and across disciplines. The EOSC offers European researchers and practitioners in the hard sciences, humanities and social sciences a virtual environment with open and continuous services for the preservation, management, analysis and reuse of research data, across geographical boundaries and across disciplines, based on a federated system of scientific infrastructures currently disjointed and residing in different member states.