20080719 Esof Open Data Voegler

Funding Open Data:

Some Thoughts and Challenges on the Road ahead

ESOF, 19 July 2008

Dr. Max VöglerProgramme OfficerGerman Research Foundation(DFG)

Introduction

• about the DFG

• Open Data from the funding perspective

• DFG Practices

• Perspectives

ESOF 2008 / Max VoeglerBarcelona, 18.-22.07.2008

DFG Mission Statement

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG) is the central, self-governing research funding organization that promotes research at universities and other publicly financed research institutions in Germany.

The DFG serves all branches of the sciences and the humanities by funding research projects and facilitating cooperation among researchers.


DFG Funding 2007

Funding available:

1,7 billion €

Projects granted:

21.089

Money granted:

2,2 billion €

(incl. „Excellence

Initiative“)Source:http://www.dfg.de/jahresbericht/download/dfg_jb2007.pdf


The Case for Open Data – the public funding perspective

• Research Data is the “infrastructure of science”. Publicly funded Basic Research is thus a public good.

• Sharing data enables better Science

– re-analysis of data helps validate and/or correct previous results

– research data might be re-analyzed in different (disciplinary) settings, opening up new avenues of research beyond the initial context in which data was collected.

• Increases the Visibility of a national research system


The Case for Open Data – the public funding perspective

• Open data enables efficient science

– data is not (re-)produced unnecessarily

– data collection becomes a collective exercise

• Sharing research data is a reliable way to counteract misconduct related to data fabrication and falsification

• Replication studies (with shared research data) is an effective means of training new generations of researchers

• „Data Publication“ as a (new?, alternate?) means of scientific recognition


The Case for Open Data – some Challenges

• Freedom of ScienceDoes this also imply the freedom to withhold data?

• Recognition and “first use” privilegesHow can I make sure that my publication has maximum impact on my career? Should data only be published when linked to a publication?

• Who “owns” the data? (And how do they make it available?)Funding Agency, Institution, PI, Researcher, Publisher? Can be different in each case. Just as important: what rights (license) are accorded (re-)use of data?

Berlin Declaration:Open access must satisfy …a free, irrevocable, worldwide, right of access to, and a license to copy, use, distribute, transmit and display the work publicly and to make and distribute derivative works, in any digital medium for any responsible purpose, subject to proper attribution of authorship.


The Case for Open Data – some Challenges

• Quality ControlCan all data be kept forever? Should it? Who decides how, when, where and why data is stored and for how long?

• SustainabilityData needs to be sustainable resource. How do you fund long-term access to research data? Who pays? And where, when do they pay?

• Privacy and Patent issues (surveys, interviews, medical data) There are many legitimate reasons for not making (all) data available. “Subjects” must trust the researchers that their data remains anonymous. Balance is especially tricky with qualitative data, e.g. in psychology. Also: Industrial-academic partnership and “mixed” funding: Open Data becomes complicated with projects co-funded by industry.


What is the DFG doing… and planning?

Policy Level:

Encouraging archiving and verification of data sets: DFG Principles: “Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice” (1996) Includes: “Primary data as the basis for publications shall be securely stored for ten years in a durable form in the institution of their origin.”

Developing a data policies or framework of data policies for funding. Implementation must be very discipline specific and come through the disciplinary panels.


What is the DFG doing… and planning?

Funding Pilot Projects

Publication and Citation of Scientific Primary Data cooperation of 4 Data Centers in the environmental sciences and the

German National Library of Science. created a DOI agency for primary data enabled researchers to acquire

reputation by providing their own data. provided metadata to make primary data findable.

Documenting, Archiving, and Presenting Primary Data in Psychology aims at providing reusable raw data from psychological questionnaires. has patient confidentiality among its core issues. shows that researcher‘s readiness to hand over their own data sets is

not at all sufficient.

Research Data Sets in the catalog of the National Library of Science, Hannover(DFG funded project)

http://tiborder.gbv.de/psi/DB=2.63/CLK?IKT=8578&TRM=primaerdaten

What the DFG is doing... and planning?

Community Building

Every scientific community has its own culture and set of issues, practices and cultures that must be understood and addressed when tackling data infrastructure issues.

Series of Workshops Social Sciences (Dec. 2007) Infrastructures / Data Centers (Jan. 2008) Archaeology (April 2008) Life Sciences I: Scoping (Fall 2008) ... undoubtedly many more to come.

What the DFG is doing... and planning?

Cooperation: We are not alone!The DFG can help finance certain measures. But we are a self-governing funding organization. Must work with other actors to achieve results.

Alliance of Research Organizations “National Initiative on Digital Information” (DFG, Max Planck, Helmholtz, Frauenhofer, Leibniz Institutes, Rectors Conference, Science Council (Wissenschaftsrat)Partners have embarked on a joint initiative. One of the themes will be research data a the focus on data policies, data sustainability, etc.

Knowledge ExchangeDFG Works together with other European organizations (DEFF, DK; JISC, UK; and SURF, NL) to address infrastructure issues related to research data.

ESF Members Forum on OA to Research DataWant to work with other funding agencies on these problems.

What is (and what should be) on our agenda for the coming years

Encouraging the publication of data setsWithin the scholarly communication cycle, the publication of data sets needs to be given a higher standing. Need infrastructure, development of legal framework, other incentives to make this possible.

Exploring the European Dimension to DataCoordinated system to curate, archive and make data accessible would be an invaluable contribution to ERA. How to coordinate? (ESFRI-like process?) How to create long term financing? How to align policies, financing, etc.?

Working across sectorsGood opportunity to work together with publishers and other actors. On Data issues, there should be much common ground.

Think DisciplinesEU: Europe (or Germany, or the UK, or...) as the best possible home for global research communities. With data, this can be put into practice.

Dr. Max VoeglerProgramme [email protected]

Thank you!

Questions?


20080719 Esof Open Data Voegler

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