From Competition to Collaboration: A National Model for Sustainable and Interoperable Research Data Repositories

Cybulska, Agnieszka; Szprot, Jakub

doi:10.5281/zenodo.17524640

From Competition to Collaboration: A National Model for Sustainable and Interoperable Research Data Repositories

Cybulska, Agnieszka; Szprot, Jakub

Publisher: Zenodo
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17524640
Repository: zenodo.org
Language: en

Abstract

This presentation explores a collaborative national network of research data repositories in Poland, where institutional, disciplinary, and generalist infrastructures coexist rather than compete. The model offers a practical example of how interoperability and central coordination can support researchers and institutions in selecting the most appropriate repository type—without duplicating efforts or fragmenting services. Drawing on a growing ecosystem currently comprising four main repositories (including a generalist platform hosting over 50 institutional dataverses), the presentation demonstrates how this architecture helps address key challenges in the research data landscape:- ensuring long-term sustainability (technical, operational, and financial),- alleviating staffing shortages,- and motivating researchers to share their data. The model relies on shared infrastructure, harmonized metadata exchange, and cross-repository visibility, enabling researchers to deposit data in the repository best suited to their needs—while benefiting from aggregated institutional presence and increased discoverability. By presenting this approach, we aim to share insights into a scalable, community-driven strategy that reduces overheads, strengthens national coordination, and enhances the openness of research data practices. By highlighting a collaborative infrastructure model, this presentation contributes to the broader conversation on how we can reimagine openness through shared responsibility, inclusive governance, and sustainable practices.

Full text

From Competition to Collaboration: A National Model for Sustainable and Interoperable Research Data Repositories Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical and Computational Modelling (ICM) University of Warsaw Jakub Szprot j.szpr[email protected] Agnieszka Cybulska-Phelan [email protected] Polish research landscape – regulations on research data National Science Centre Open Access Policy (2020, updated in 2025) https://www.ncn.gov.pl/sites/default/ﬁles/pliki/zarzadzenia -dyrektora/zarzadzenieDyr-39_2025.pdf National Open Access Policy for Publicly Funded Research Data (2025) https://www.gov.pl/attachment/c1b854c1-957e-464e-bc db-54a65d4d343a Institutional policies on OA, e.g. University of Warsaw Open Science Policy (2025) https://monitor.uw.edu.pl/Lists/Uchway/Attachments /7524/ENG_M.2025.314.Zarz.136.pdf Directions of the Development of Open Access to Research Publications and Research Results (2015) https://www.gov.pl/attachment/d9d096ef-0c73-4a4 8-9c5a-b2cb808447e8 Polish research landscape – institutions and their needs ●Researchers are required to comply with national and institutional policies — data from publicly funded research should be openly accessible. ●Institutions should enable this by offering support, infrastructure, and training to researchers. ●The emergence of new data-sharing obligations has created a pressing need for: ○robust technical infrastructure, ○comprehensive training programs for researchers and support staff. ●Poland’s research ecosystem includes: ○130+ academic institutions (public and private), and ○200+ research institutes*. *See more: https://radon.nauka.gov.pl/analizy/nauka-w-Polsce-2024 Addressing needs in local context ●One solution: developing institutional repositories. ○High implementation and maintenance costs, especially for smaller institutions. ○Limited availability of trained staff. ○Low technical readiness in many organisations. ○Fragmentation risk → diverse infrastructure setups and software solutions. ○Challenges in ensuring interoperability and long-term preservation. ●Another solution: shared infrastructure. Leveraging the existing platform developed and hosted by ICM: ○Nationwide solution already in place. ○Centralised funding, infrastructure, and technical support. ○Scalable – appropriate solution for different types of institutions. ○Backed by an established competence centre for Open Science. ICM UW for Open Science Comprehensive solutions for Open Science for almost two decades: ●infrastructure and software, ●resources, services, and tools, ●educational and training initiatives, ●expertise and consulting. National level: solutions for the entire research ecosystem, including libraries, universities, and research institutions. European level: co-creating OS infrastructure, particularly by contributing to OpenAIRE and EOSC initiatives. Generalist repository for research data of all types. https://repod.icm.edu.pl/ 2015, updated in 2020 Domain-speciﬁc repository of raw diffraction data collected for macromolecular crystals. https://mxrdr.icm.edu.pl/ 2020 Domain-speciﬁc repository for qualitative and quantitative social data. Consists of two separate archives. https://rds.icm.edu.pl/ 2020 Institutional research data repository of the University of Warsaw. https://danebadawcze.uw.edu.pl/ 2023 Domain-speciﬁc repository for archaeological research data. A work in progress (2025/2026). ICM UW for Open Science – research data repositories ICM UW for Open Science – research data repositories ●All repositories are hosted by ICM UW using its own infrastructure (state-of-the-art data centre). ●Currently the operational responsibilities are shared: ○ICM maintains the infrastructure and software of all services, and oversees daily operations of RepOD and DBUW, ○Institute of Philosophy and Sociology Polish Academy of Sciences (IFiS PAS) is responsible for dataset veriﬁcation in RDS, ○Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (UAM) oversees dataset veriﬁcation in MX-RDR. ●Software: Fairchive. ○Developed by ICM UW as a fork of Dataverse. ○Enables in-house refactoring and easy addition of new features. ○Example enhancements: a more granular licensing model, extended support for discipline-speciﬁc metadata schemas, improved compliance with WCAG. ○Open-source and available at https://github.com/CeON/fairchive. Metadata harvesting (example) RepOD Repository for Open Data as central node ●Established in 2015 as the ﬁrst Polish research data repository, RepOD became the centre of the national research data ecosystem. ●Open to all, free of charge. ●Core Trust Seal certiﬁed, aligned with FAIR principles. ●Operational model: main collection and around 60 institutional collections. ●As the provider of a robust, nationwide repository service, ICM was able to address the most urgent need of Polish research institutions: it started hosting institutional collections within RepOD. Thank you! Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical and Computational Modelling University of Warsaw Jakub Szprot j.szpr[email protected] Agnieszka Cybulska-Phelan [email protected]