Science Europe and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) have launched an initiative for the voluntary international alignment of research data management policies.
The FNR has been actively involved in the Science Europe Working Group on Research Data Management and strongly supports this initiative, encouraging Luxembourg research institutions to do the same.
The Working Group aims at defining a common set of core requirements for Research Data Management Policies and Data Management Plans (DMPs) across European Funders and Research Performing Organisations.
First round of consultations to launch in the Spring
The Open Science strategy is high on the political and scientific agenda in Europe. Access to and sharing of research data are central pillars of this strategy. Many research funders, institutes, and universities are developing policies for managing those data in an Open Science environment to stimulate good data governance and stewardship. Better alignment of these policies will reduce administrative burdens for both researchers and research organisations.
Science Europe and NWO encourage other organisations in the broader research landscape to join forces in this endeavour. Science Europe will launch a first round of consultations in early spring; interested organisations are invited to contact the Science Europe Office.
The initiative was also welcomed by Robert-Jan Smits, Director-General for Research and Innovation at the European Commission, when presented at a Science Europe meeting on Data Management earlier this year.
A Framework for Discipline-specific Research Data Management
The launch of the initiative follows the recent publication of Science Europe’s new framework for discipline-specific research data management. This framework aims to make life easier for researchers who are writing data management plans for their own research and applications. Research communities are invited to create domain- specific protocols based on this framework, outlining the essentials for data management in their area.
For more information, visit the Science Europe website
