The Public
Domain of Digital Research Data
OECD Follow-up
Group on Issues of Access to Publicly Funded Research Data
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I. About the
Group
I.1. Origin
The third CSTP/OECD Global Research Village Conference (GRV III, Amsterdam 2000)
addressed policy implications of the use of Information and Communication Technologies
(ICT) for the global science system. The Conference discussed issues of Access
to publicly financed research related to ICT as for instance Access to Network
Infrastructures, Virtual Libraries, Electronic Publishing, Virtual Laboratories,
Intellectual Property and Data Resources (see Start
Document).
I.2. Focus on data
Following the Conference Recommendations, the CSTP/OECD at its meeting of 13/14
March 2001 agreed to the establishment of a Working Group to draw up commonly
agreed principles to guide Access to publicly financed research. Access to and
Sharing of Research Data from Public Funding was chosen as the most appropriate
focus for the activities of the Working Group (see Planning
Document).
I.3. Tasks
In order to deliver an adequate set of Principles, the provisional Working Group
has set itself the task of analysing the current situation, considering future
trends and advising a more co-ordinated policy action within and between OECD
countries.
The Working Group will:
- report on current practices of Access to and Sharing of Research Data from Public
Funding and their underlying principles,
- make policy suggestions on the implementation of these principles.
I.4. Membership
During the summer of 2001, experts from The Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, the
United States and the European Science Foundation (ESF) have led the preparations.
Current membership includes experts from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland,
Poland, The Netherlands, Japan, The United States, the group works in close contact
with ESF, NSF and CODATA (see Membership List, see
CODATA).
I.5. Addressed actors
The Working Group will report to the Committee for Scientific and Technological
Policy (CSTP) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The policy recommendations will be directed at governments, their research funding
organisations and their research institutes, in that order. Examples of community
and publishers actions will also be given.
I.6. Deliverables
The Working Group will publish a Report that will include a science policy section
and a section on the practices of sharing data from a social informatics perspective.
In the Report a set of commonly agreed Principles derived from best practices
in these arrangements as well as the underlying normative values will be presented.
It will conclude with policy recommendations to improve conditions to access and
sharing.
I.7. Results
The set of Principles seeks to contribute to better practices of access to and
sharing of data by:
- raising the awareness of the relevant parties on the subject where needed;
- putting the issues more firmly on the relevant agendas and
- supporting the establishment of the necessary specific policies and regulation.
I.8. Support
The activities of the working group are supported by governments or agencies of
the participants such as the Netherlands'
Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, CODATA,
and the United States' National Science Foundation.