Research data management in European metrology (Formerly including the European Open Science Cloud)

Project Description

Update 2022-09-28

The goal of this project is to foster the development of harmonised practices for research data management (RDM) of metrological data and services. It offers support and recommendations for European metrology researchers and project coordinators to help them conform to the different regulations and expectations of the funders (European Commission, EURAMET) to the FAIR data principles (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, Reusability); to the good scientific practice and ethical principles; and to the metrological principles of traceability and reproducibility. With a joint RDM strategy in place, the development of joint infrastructures across EURAMET members becomes feasible. Consequently, the impact of all EURAMET projects should increase and the role of measurement science, including in the EOSC initiative, would become more visible.

The project originally included also the establishment of a joint metrological implementation of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), which was later transferred to the competences of the higher EURAMET TC-IM working group 'Metrology for Digital Transformation' (WG M4D).

Project activities:

  • Increase the impact of metrology in the EOSC initiative
  • Formulation of a vision for metrology in RDM
  • Cooperation with EURAMET on the fulfilment of EC requirements
  • Development of guidelines, checklists, templates for reporting documents, sample policies
  • Training and motivation of researchers to perform RDM and produce FAIR data
  • Development of data models and metadata schemes (minimum requirements)
  • Recommendations about tools and procedures for RDM
  • Collection of case studies, good practices and lessons learned
  • Cooperation with the scientific communities and other stakeholders


Additional information 2022-12-12:

In the current iteration of TC-IM 1449 project, its main goals, related to specific WPs, entail:

  • To aid the coordinators of EPM projects with RDM activities, including planning, data collecting and reporting (WP1, WP3, WP4, WP5, WP6).
  • To aid all researchers participating on EPM projects with good practices for RDM (WP1, WP3, WP5, WP6).
  • To aid all NMIs involved with the grant agreement for EPM for their drafting of RDM policies (WP2).

 

2018-06-01

The goal of this project is to foster the development of harmonised research data management (RDM) and metadata standards for metrological data and services. This is the requirement for establishing a joint metrological implementation network of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) principles of FAIR data and services. (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).

Considering that all EMPIR projects starting 2018 have to provide a data management plan demonstrating that they are complying with the FAIR principles, a harmonised cross-disciplinary approach is required to ensure the interoperability between different projects. With a joint RDM strategy in place, the development of joint infrastructures across EURAMET members becomes feasible. Consequently, the impact of all EURAMET projects would increase and the role of measurement science in the EOSC initiative would become more visible.
Therefore, the project will carry out the following actions

  • Increase the impact of metrology in the EOSC initiative
  • Formulation of a vision for metrology in RDM
  • Advice for EURAMET about how to fulfill future EU requirements
  • Development of strategies and incentives for motivating researchers to publish FAIR data
  • Development and publication of case studies, guidelines and software for implementing and maintaining data management plans
  • Development of RDM structures, including minimum requirements for metadata and data in metrological applications to satisfy the FAIR principles
  • Cooperation with stakeholders / scientific community.

Progress Report 2024-02-23

A lot of work has been done in 2023.

Project outputs:

Communication:

A new participant in this project is Justervesenet (Norway).


Progress Report 2022-12-13

The sample RDM policy for European NMIs has been terminated and approved by all project partners and will be presented by the TC-IM Chair to the EMN & TC meeting in February.

During the first half of 2023 the project will publish a series of guidelines and templates on Research Data Management, to be disseminated to project coordinators and researchers before the start of most Metrology Partnership projects.


Progress Report 2022-09-22

The fourth presence workshop (16th - 17th August 2022 at SMD, Brussels, Belgium + DFNconf) helped to consolidate the work and defining the next steps and the expected project outputs.
The project has been renamed “Research data management in European metrology”.

The work packages have been re-organised as follows:

  • WP1 Guidelines and checklists for RDM in metrology
  • WP2 RDM policies in European NMIs
  • WP3 Motivation and dissemination
  • WP4 Reporting documents
  • WP5 Digital standards for metrological information
  • WP6 Metadata for data publication
     

The project wishes the establishment of an RDM ambassador/officer (similarly to the newly appointed DCC officer), with the authority to address independently scientists, funders and other stakeholders for advising and research purpose.


Progress Report 2022-08-05

SMD (Belgium) joins the project as an additional institute.


Progress Report 2021-03-01

During the past year, the project continued its activities and intensified its cooperation with EURAMET. Conform to the travel restrictions in force, meetings took place in virtual form with a modified rhythm: 5 meetings in 10 months.
With the support of EURAMET Secretariat, we organised a training on Research Data Management for EMPIR project leaders consisting of three modules which took place in the first quarter of 2021:

The involvement of the metrological community in the European Open Science Cloud was one of our main topics. For this purpose, we collected scientific arguments for a EURAMET-EOSC partnership. The resulting collaboration proposal was presented by the working group M4D to the TC Chairs and were used as basis for the negotiation with the EOSC board.

The development of a common Draft for Data Management Plans for EMPIR projects together with the MSU is still going on. We aim to produce two templates: for initial DMPs (at the project beginning) and another one for “mid-term” DMPs (during project development, where data have possibly already been generated). We wish to involve more partners in this action.

A new subject we started dealing with are Research Data Policies in the European NMIs. Three partner institutes presented their strategy, work in progress and lessons learned. A cooperation on this subject has been required by more partners and a mini task force is about to be constituted.

At the beginning of 2021 the work packages were redefined as follows:

  • Research data policies in European NMIs (harmonisation; information exchange; checklist...)
  • One sample "EURAMET-conform" research data policy
  • RDM "EURAMET guideline" for researchers
  • RDM checklist for researchers
  • Good practice examples (collection, report)
  • DMP draft / guideline for EMPIR projects (or following funding programme)
  • White paper for data repositories
  • Digital standards for metrological information (quantity+value+uncertainty+unit)
  • Cooperation with the EOSC

Progress Report 2020-04-06

The third workshop (22 January 2020 at METAS, Bern-Wabern, Switzerland) discussed the results of the survey and yielded the draft of a vision document about the role of metrology in the topic of research data management, which was signed by the representatives of 5 NMIs.
The report from this workshop can be downloaded here >>.

The following web meeting (23 March 2020) defined the next actions necessary to implement the vision document and to organise the training activities for EMPIR project leaders.
The next web meeting will take place at the beginning of June 2020.

The fourth workshop has been postponed until the end of the current worldwide sanitary emergency.


Progress Report 2019-09-12

The second workshop (13 June 2019 at PTB, Braunschweig, Germany) defined concrete work packages and a time schedule for the initial work.
The report from this workshop can be downloaded here>>.

The third workshop will take place on 22 January 2020 at METAS, Bern, Switzerland.


Progress Report 2019-05-14

On 9 April 2019 the project organised the workshop “Research data management in EMPIR projects” at PTB, Berlin, Germany. The report from this workshop can be downloaded here>>.

On 13 June 2019 the project holds a strategic workshop to form a concrete work plan and a common vision.