The Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) is expanding its support for the sustainability of Irish research outputs through a free deposit scheme and specialised training in data management for a limited number of applicants to a Legacy Research Collection Deposit pilot scheme. Researchers or research groups are eligible to apply for a single deposit allocation in the Repository (one dataset: project or collection), for which they will receive tailored advice and support to improve the accessibility and long-term preservability of their work.
DRI is pleased to be collaborating with the Irish Data Stewardship Network (Sonraí) to ensure all curated legacy datasets align with best practices in research data management. Participants will receive training in data curation and one-on-one tailored guidance throughout the deposit process to ensure their collections are safely and easily stored in the Repository for long-term preservation. Upon completion of the pilot, participants will be invited to join an emerging network of Sonraí Data Champions, building capacity for Ireland’s transition to a FAIR and open research data landscape.
Applications open 12 February. The original deadline was 15 March 2024, but it has been extended until 29 March 2024. Successful applicants will be notified in April 2024.
How to apply
Download the application form and email pilot-applications@dri.ie.
Questions?
Join us on 22 February at 11:00 UTC for an informational session on the pilot programme. Register for the event here: https://dri.ie/events/dri-pilot-info-session/.
If you missed the information session, you can find answers to researchers’ questions about the Scheme collated in this helpful blog post by Research Data Project Manager Beth Knazook.
About the Pilot
Do you have an academic research project website that you are concerned about keeping accessible? Do you have research notes and spreadsheets that you have been thinking about sharing, but aren’t sure how best to do that? Do you have a collection of research images that informed a publication, which are still sitting on a hard drive or local cloud storage? Consider depositing these legacy research outputs with the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) as part of our 2024 Data Preservation for Legacy Research Collections Pilot!
Background
The Digital Repository of Ireland is Ireland’s national preservation repository for Social Sciences, Humanities and Cultural Heritage data, and we have nearly 60 member organisations who have chosen to preserve their materials in the Repository. The deposit of these materials is coordinated by a network of Organisational Managers who oversee the process of depositing. In our current model, individual researchers at Higher Education Institutions cannot approach DRI directly but must go through the appropriate contacts at their organisation to deposit through the membership scheme. This pilot is designed to help DRI test a more open model for researcher deposit and develop appropriate support materials for DRI members working directly with researchers in their organisations.
Successful applicants will be allocated space to deposit their collection in the Repository, ensuring long-term preservation of their research data in perpetuity, while also receiving training and guidance in using the Repository features and preparing their data for sharing. Details are outlined below.
Conditions of the pilot
- Eligibility for the pilot is limited to current and former faculty members or postgraduate researchers affiliated with Irish Higher Education Institutions or Research Performing Organisations (https://research.ie/funding/eligible-higher-education-institutions-and-research-performing-organisations/). In circumstances where an application is made on behalf of a research project with multiple participants, the Principal Investigator (PI) must meet this eligibility criteria.
- Successful applicants should be willing to undergo a curatorial review of their data, and be prepared to make minor changes to the format or content of their dataset based on the outcome of that review in order to improve the accessibility and preservability of their work.
- Participants should be willing and available to participate in online training sessions hosted jointly with the Sonraí Irish Data Stewardship Network. These sessions will cover Research Data Management best practices and the DRI Repository workflow, and will take place between May and July 2024.
- Participants are required to complete the deposit process by 1 October 2024.
- Participants will be asked to provide feedback at the conclusion of the pilot.
Dataset criteria
- The dataset should fit the mandate of the Digital Repository of Ireland to collect materials related to Irish language, history and culture. Preference will be given to datasets from the Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts. View DRI’s Collection Policy at 10.7486/DRI.kk91v774c-2.
- The dataset should be complete and already in a digital format (i.e. the research project is finished and you are not actively adding to it, any digitisation of original documents has already been carried out).
- The dataset should be organised (i.e. it is clear what the notes are about, where the images came from, etc.).
- The dataset should not have been published in another preservation environment (i.e. in a university repository, in Zenodo or Figshare, etc.).
- Applicants can verify that they have the right to publish the dataset either by being the original creator of the content, or by providing signed agreements with any copyright holder(s).
- In the case of human participant data (e.g. oral histories, interviews), researchers should additionally be able to provide examples of consent forms and ethical approval, where appropriate, used in the collection of the data. If your dataset was obtained without the use of written consent forms, you are welcome to contact us for further advice before applying. Please be advised that any anonymisation required will have to be completed by the applicant prior to deposit.
Award
- Successful applicants will be granted the opportunity to deposit one dataset (project or collection) in the Digital Repository of Ireland. The dataset will be published on the Repository and preserved alongside a significant digital collection of Irish history, culture and literature.
- Deposit fees are waived for this pilot scheme.
- DRI and Sonraí will aim to pair applicants with persons who can support and advise them directly on preparing their data for deposit with DRI. Applicants are encouraged to speak to data stewards, librarians or other research support personnel at their institutions before applying to identify potential partnerships early in the process.
- Participants will be recognised as a Sonraí Data Champion upon completion of the training.
