The Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) is the coordinating body for the National Open Research Forum (NORF), the driving force behind the open research agenda in Ireland. Since 2022, DRI has supported NORF in administering the NORF Open Research Fund provided by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to deliver the actions outlined in the National Action Plan for Open Research 2022-2030. Read on for a round-up of some of the recent NORF activities that have been delivered with the support of DRI, as well as the latest open research news.
NORF Launches Ireland’s National PID Strategy and Roadmap
On Friday 25 October 2024, the National Open Research Forum (NORF) launched Ireland’s National Persistent Identifier (PID) Strategy and Roadmap, Impact, Openness, Interoperability: Recommendations and a Roadmap for an Irish National PID Strategy, which is available to read in the DRI Repository. The Roadmap was prepared by NORF and the NORF PID Task Force, in consultation with the scholarly communications consultants MoreBrains Cooperative. It is a major milestone in strengthening Ireland’s research infrastructure. Read more about the launch of the National PID Strategy and Roadmap
Engaging with Your Community to Effect Change
To coincide with the launch of the National PID Strategy and Roadmap, Alice Meadows, a co-founder of the MoreBrains Cooperative, shared a case study in the Scholarly Kitchen about engagement with the Irish community for the project. Read the case study.
NORF All Projects Workshop 2024
On 25 October 2024, NORF hosted a meeting with the nineteen NORF-funded open research projects at the Royal Irish Academy (RIA), Dublin. The day focused on progressing selected action areas within the National Action Plan for Open Research 2022-2030, based on expertise being brought together and developed in current NORF projects. The agenda included workshops with representatives of key stakeholders and the launch of Ireland’s National PID Strategy and Roadmap. Read more about the event.
Workshop: ‘Reform of Research Assessment: Impact on Doctoral Students’
On Tuesday, 5 November 2024, the Higher Education Authority (HEA), National Research Integrity Forum (NRIF), together with NORF, the National Framework for Doctoral Education (NFDE) Advisory Forum, and the CoARA National Chapter, hosted an event at the RIA to progress the national conversation on research assessment.
Research assessment is an important action of the European Research Area, and a significant number of Irish institutions are members of the international Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA).
The workshop aimed to raise awareness amongst PhD students and supervisors of PhD students of the current changes in the evaluation of research. Read more about the workshop.
Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications endorses the National Action Plan for Open Research
NORF is delighted to receive endorsement of the National Action Plan for Open Research 2022-2030 from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC). This is a key action in the Department’s Research and Innovation (R&I) Strategy to 2030, which was published earlier this year. The Department’s endorsement of the National Action Plan highlights the crucial role of the global and national open research movement in supporting free access to publicly-funded research evidence.
HEAnet Strategic Plan Commits to Enhancing National Research Infrastructure
NORF welcomes the launch of the HEAnet Strategic Plan 2025-2030. As outlined in the new plan, HEAnet is committed to driving research excellence by supporting FAIR data management, advancing national research infrastructure, and fostering collaboration. HEAnet will enhance Open Science efforts, helping Ireland’s research community to innovate and excel on the global stage. NORF is delighted to see the HEAnet 2025-2030 strategy for research aligns with national and EU policies, including Ireland’s National Action Plan for Open Research 2022-2030 (prepared by NORF under Impact 2030: Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy) to foster innovation, drive impactful research and enhance our national research infrastructure. Read the HEAnet Strategic Plan 2025-2030.
Launch of IReL Executive Report 23/24
Congratulations to Irish Research e-Library (IReL) on the recent launch of their Executive Report for 2023/2024. As a shared service providing universities across Ireland with access to online information, IReL is essential infrastructure for Irish researchers and for increasing the impact of Irish research.
The report celebrates their landmark 20th anniversary and highlights IReL’s major achievements from the past couple of years. This includes the launch of the National Open Access Monitor pilot in March 2024 by IReL, NORF and OpenAIRE – a cornerstone in Ireland’s shift towards a fully open access research ecosystem.
Learn more about the National Open Access Monitor pilot on the NORF website.
Access IReL’s Executive Report for 2023/2024 via Zenodo.
Read IReL’s press release: ‘Minister O’Donovan extends congratulations to stakeholders on 20 years of IReL’.
NORF is funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research and Innovation and Science through the Higher Education Authority (HEA). It is coordinated by the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI), which is headquartered under the legal entity of the Royal Irish Academy.
