Embracing a FAIR Culture. FAIRsFAIR Synchronisation efforts in aligning with EU initiatives to foster Open Science in Europe

A key challenge for FAIRsFAIR is to ensure project activities dovetail with work carried out by the EOSC Governance Working Groups, and feed into and complement work being done by other projects in the research data and FAIR space. FAIRsFAIR is looking in particular at four strategic assets: 

DATA PRACTICES

In collaboration with established experts, FAIRsFAIR will document and further develop data practice and repository design to dramatically enhance data interoperability across scientific domains and geographic divides. A first set of Recommendations has already been released specifically on FAIR Semantics (D2.2 - https://zenodo.org/record/3707985#.XrQTqKgzaM8) and  for Persistence and Interoperability (D2.1 - https://zenodo.org/record/3557381#.XrQULKgzaM8) together with reports on FAIR Data Practice Analysis (D3.2 - https://zenodo.org/record/3581353#.XrQUeagzaM8) and the Features of FAIR Data Repositories (D2.3 - https://zenodo.org/record/3631528#.XrQU3qgzaM8).

DATA POLICY

Based on a thorough review of the current policy landscape, FAIRsFAIR will make concrete recommendations to enhance FAIR policy and embed FAIR culture in institutes of higher learning. In this regard, a FAIR Policy Landscape Analysis report has been published (D3.1 - https://zenodo.org/record/3558173#.XrQWB6gzaM8), followed by Recommendations for Policy Enhancements (D3.3 - https://zenodo.org/record/3686901#.XrQWWqgzaM8). A report on FAIR in European Higher Education (D7.1 - https://zenodo.org/record/3629683#.XrQWvagzaM8) has also been released.

FAIR COMPETENCE CENTRE

FAIRsFAIR will establish an educational programme to equip researchers, trainers and institutes of higher learning across Europe with the information and skills required to produce and curate FAIR data. In this regard, an Overview of Needs for Competence Centres (D6.1 - https://zenodo.org/record/3549791#.XrQXSqgzaM8) and a preliminary definition of the FAIRsFAIR Core Competence Centre (D6.2 - https://zenodo.org/record/3732889#.XrQXyqgzaM8) have been published.

FAIR CERTIFICATION

FAIRsFAIR will establish a FAIR assessment tool and, by actively supporting selected repositories to achieve certification, create a European network of certified repositories. To this end, a Vision for the Components of a FAIR Ecosystem have been documented (https://zenodo.org/record/3565428#.XrQZMqgzaM8) alongside Draft Recommendations on Requirements for FAIR Datasets in Certified Repositories (D4.1 https://zenodo.org/record/3678716#.XrQZ26gzaM8).

For this reason the FAIRsFAIR project set up the Synchronisation Force, a team tasked with establishing a dialogue among the various projects and actors in both the EOSC and FAIR ecosystems whose work touches on FAIR. Its mandate is to maximise coordination and minimise unnecessary overlap or duplication, facilitate synergies between project activities, and EOSC governance, and promote collaboration mechanisms aimed at turning FAIR into reality.