Open Research Data Pilot: barriers to implementation and instruments for supporting research

According to the EC policy, Open Access generally refers to the practice of providing online access to scientific information that is free of charge to the end-user and reusable. The Europe 2020 Strategy for a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy fosters knowledge and innovation as the means that lead to growth and, in this context, Open Access (OA) can play a very important role. In fact, making research results (publications and data) accessible, accelerates dissemination of knowledge and scientific discovery, and enables new forms of data-intensive research. The central aim of the present work is to highlight the grand challenges in opening access to Research Data and to identify main barriers and resistance to its implementation. The study features a literature review of policy documents on OA, analysis of the current state of art and study of reports and projects. Structured interviews with relevant contact persons in different research performing organisations were later conducted, providing important feedback about the experience in participating in the Open Research Data (ORD) pilot, with special reference to the problems they faced and the solutions as well as the tools they experimented. In addition the main resources on OA (guidelines, toolkits, licensing and costing tools, helpdesks, etc.), with specific reference to open research to data and data management issues, were analysed and listed and later grouped by topic. The list is not exhaustive, although it represents a helpful starting point for researchers and relevant stakeholders within research institutions and universities when approaching OA issues, with specific reference to the participation in the pilot. On the basis of this work, we have identified specific recommendations to be addressed to research performing organisations with the aim of helping them in reviewing their approach and practices on OA to research data and data management, and in taking the necessary steps to rise the exciting challenge introduced in the H2020 programme with launch of the ORD pilot