Advancing research practices: OSTrails project towards open science

The Oxford e-Research Centre’s Data Readiness Group, an essential member of the ELIXIR-UK Node, is driving significant progress in open science and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) data as it takes on a key role in the EU project OSTrails.

Data Management Plans (DMPs) have long been hailed as essential roadmaps for research endeavours, yet their efficacy in ensuring the Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability of digital objects remains undetermined. OSTrails enters this landscape as an initiative to transform DMPs into actionable guides to promote FAIR-by-design practices throughout the research lifecycle.

Under the guidance of Prof Susanna-Assunta Sansone, the Data Readiness Group is poised to leverage machine-actionable DMPs to track and assist with the FAIRness of research digital objects, enrich several Scholarly Knowledge Graphs and identify new metrics beyond publications indicators.

“We aim to shift the landscape towards a more researcher-centric, educative, and integrated approach, as well as delivering tools, services and guidance that reward and enable research behaviour underpinning open and FAIR science practice”

Susanna-Assunta-Sansonse, Professor of Data Readiness and Academic Lead of Research Practice for the University of Oxford. 

With a substantial €7M budget, the OSTrails project is one of seven ambitious Horizon Europe projects embarking on a three-year journey in 2024. With a consortium of 38 partners, including the five ESFRI Science Clusters (ENVRI – Environmental Science; EOSC-Life – Life Science; ESCAPE – Astronomy; PANOSC – Photon Neutron Science; SSHOC – Social Sciences and Humanities), representing diverse technical expertise and research infrastructures, OSTrails promises to drive significant advancements in research data management.

About ELIXIR-UK involvement

As a pivotal member of the ELIXIR-UK Node, the Data Readiness Group will play a crucial role through FAIRsharing, a globally endorsed resource promoting FAIR-enabling standards and policies. In particular, FAIRsharing will power content for actionable DMPs via tools such as the ELIXIR-driven Data Stewardship Wizard and FAIR assessment/evaluation/assistance tools, as well as contribute to the enrichment of Scholarly Knowledge Graphs,  working with all five ESFRI Science Clusters, which will also be engaged via the FAIRsharing Community Champion Programme.

The Group also enters the project’s core technical team as a representative of the EOSC-Life Cluster via ELIXIR.

“Our collaboration with ELIXIR-UK and other partners underscores our commitment to advancing open science principles.” 

Dr Allyson Lister, Knowledge Engineer at the Oxford e-Research Centre and FAIRsharing coordinator