FAIR and Open Science

The way that research is conducted and communicated is rapidly changing. Open Science policies and practices are transforming how research inquiries are designed, managed, shared and assessed, such that it is no longer sufficient to simply publish the results of publicly funded research without also making the underlying data that supports and validates the conclusions as open and accessible as possible. The European Commission emphasises a certain timeliness and urgency to this new research paradigm in their definition of Open Science as “An approach to the scientific process that focuses on spreading knowledge as soon as it is available using digital and collaborative technology” (The EU’s Open Science Policy).

Open Science, also commonly referred to as Open Research or Open Scholarship, represents a bundle of approaches and practices for collecting, managing, and disseminating research in as open and transparent a manner as possible. It is further underpinned by globally recognised ideals that encourage collaboration and exchange, ensure equity in access to research products, allow for the validation of research results, and widen the impact of research investment. (See, for example, the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, 2021). Venn diagram created by TU Delft showcasing the priorities of open science: Equity, Integrity, Collaboration, Impact

In 2016, the FAIR Data Principles were developed in recognition that good research data management throughout the research lifecycle is critical to the success of Open Science. Researchers who implement practices based on these guiding principles produce data that are Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR). Stick figures demonstrating steps in the FAIR Principles, fosteropenscience.eu

DRI and Open Research

The Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) has been a longstanding advocate for Open Science principles and practices, highlighted by contributions to expert groups and funded research projects supported by collaboration with the Research Data Alliance, the OECD,  ALLEA, Europeana, the European Commission and the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). Former DRI Director Natalie Harrower contributed to the European Commission’s high level expert group on FAIR data and the ‘Turning FAIR into a Reality’ report (2018), a key guide for the definition of FAIR in Europe and a foundational resource for FAIR implementation in the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). DRI’s contribution continued under the umbrella of the EOSC Executive Board Working Group on FAIR, which produced a series of recommendations including Six Recommendations for Implementation of FAIR practice, Recommendations on FAIR metrics for EOSC and Recommendations on certifying services required to enable FAIR within EOSC. Further details on DRI’s implementation of the FAIR principles can be found on the Statement on FAIR Principles page. DRI disseminates reports and the outputs from these activities to its membership base, which comprises of more than sixty national, regional and local organisations, and to the broader community through coordination of groups such as the Research Data Alliance (RDA) in Ireland node. Read more about DRI’s involvement with European and international Open Science projects at https://dri.ie/projects.

DRI also contributes to national efforts through its training, outreach and engagement activities and collaboratively through support for the National Open Research Forum (NORF). DRI staff member Dr. Michelle Doran coordinates NORF’s efforts to drive the national agenda for open research, including developing and supporting actions to strengthen and promote national objectives for Open Research  as outlined in the National Framework on the Transition to an Open Research Environment (2019) and the National Action Plan for Open Research 2022-2030. Since 2022, NORF and DRI have operated and administered a NORF Open Research Fund which allocates funding to deliver priority actions outlined in the national plan. You can read more about DRI and NORF at https://dri.ie/norf.

Trustworthy digital preservation, including continual monitoring, preservation processing, and policy development, is also a key to ensuring sustainable and FAIR access to data. The DRI obtained CoreTrustSeal certification in 2021 and staff are active members of the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC), the Coalition of Open Repositories (COAR), as well as the organising and programme committees for international conferences such as the Open Repositories Conference, PIDfest and the International Conference on Digital Preservation (iPRES).

FAIR Data in the Humanities and Social Sciences

As a national research data repository for the humanities, social sciences and cultural heritage, the DRI strives to support and align the unique needs of these research communities with international best practices that facilitate the reusability of data across disciplinary boundaries. Providing sustainable links between research communities and the holdings of cultural heritage and memory institutions is of particular importance to the DRI. In 2023, DRI coordinated an international Working Group of cultural heritage professionals, humanities researchers, IT professionals and data stewards through the WorldFAIR Project to produce a set of formal recommendations for more closely aligning cultural heritage image sharing practices with the FAIR principles. The DRI contributed to guidelines on How to Facilitate Cooperation between Humanities Researchers and Cultural Heritage Institutions (2019) and has run outreach events such as Using FAIR Data from the GLAM Sector and Publishing GLAM data as FAIR Data, a two-part series of webinars organised by the DRI and RDA with support from Europeana Research. From 2012–2020, DRI via the Royal Irish Academy chaired the ALLEA e-Humanities working group, producing two significant reports to support the advancement of data practices in the Humanities. Going Digital: Creating Change in the Humanities (2015) made recommendations around archival sustainability and data training required for achieving Open Access and Open Data goals across the Humanities, while Sustainable and FAIR Data Sharing in the Humanities (2020) contained a set of suggestions on how to align digital data in the humanities with the FAIR principles. Finally, the DRI’s biannual conference series DPASSH brings into focus the unique challenges and opportunities afforded by arts, social sciences and humanities research data.

Research data in the humanities and social sciences challenge expected norms around data management and data sharing in both the design of the research process and the approach to long-term data stewardship. Humanities scholars, in particular, have expressed serious concerns with the interpretation of their research sources and methods as data, despite the flourishing of the digital humanities field in recent years which may rely on data-driven computational analysis and distant reading of digitised resources. The DRI is committed to engaging with these research communities in ways that help to further the goals of Open Science that are also respectful and responsive to the realities of research in these fields. The DRI encourages all depositors to share research data as openly as possible by applying open licences to their data, and offers workshops and training opportunities on rights management and obtaining permissions. In addition to chairing a RDA Interest Group on Collections as Data, DRI staff also support an RDA Ambassadors Interest Group which encourages the exchange of ideas across different domains of research.