Furthering an open science culture at the Swedish University of Agricultural sciences

Open access to curated research data contributes to spreading of knowledge and to an increased ability for public and private players, as well as private individuals, to contribute to a more sustainable, democratic society and more efficient information exchange. The routines necessary for open access to research data will not only further “good data hygiene” among the research community, but also clarify in which situations data is in need of special protection. To achieve this degree of data management, certain levels of routines, standardization and infrastructure are required. In addition to this, a supporting culture and acceptance of the concept is required from researchers. We aim to create the physical, organizational and cultural conditions necessary to make more research data from SLU available according to the FAIR principles. A well-functioning process; from project planning, data acquisition, analysis and storage through to archiving and publication of research results, requires an equally well-functioning collaboration between the functions involved in data management support. It also requires clear routines as well as hard- and software that can connect the different parts of the process. In addition to all this, it depends on researchers and managers gaining an understanding of the value it may generate and a willingness to adapt routines to this. To achieve this a number of sub-projects have been initiated, all on the condition that a front desk – back office system is set up as the single point of entry, a function that can either answer or re-direct all data management related questions from researchers. The other sub-projects focus on i) building capacity, ii) development of routines and processes, iii) identifying and recruiting the required competencies, and iv) a communication and implementation plan.