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Reusing Research Data: Opportunities, Challenges, and the FAIR Way Forward

Rasinger, Josef Daniel; Bittremieux, Wout

Publisher
Zenodo
DOI
10.5281/zenodo.17524138
Repository
zenodo.org
Language
en

Abstract

Research funders, institutions, and academic journals increasingly require that raw data, where possible, be shared openly through public repositories. This boosts transparency and reproducibility of research, but also unlocks new possibilities through re-use, i.e. secondary data analysis. When data is reused for purposes beyond its original intent, it can lead to unexpected breakthroughs. What’s more, by combining datasets from different sources, researchers can uncover insights no single team would have been able to achieve alone, or build consensus on complex scientific questions. Yet, making sense of someone else’s data isn’t always easy. What are the challenges of interpreting and integrating datasets generated by others? Why is it crucial that the FAIR principles – Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Resuable, are followed when data are shared? In this session of Open Access Week Norway 2025, we’ll hear from two experienced practitioners of secondary data analysis. Join us to learn how FAIR data can lead to new discoveries — and what it takes to make that happen. The presentation from Josef Rasinger is included in this upload and that of Wout Bittremieux can be found via this link: https://zenodo.org/records/17418450. Speakers: Wout Bittremieux, PhD. Assistant Research Professor, University of Antwerp. Recipient of the 2025 Junior Research Parasite Award. Wout Bittremieux develops AI-driven approaches that transform large-scale mass spectrometry data into new molecular discoveries in proteomics and metabolomics. He will explore how reanalysis of public mass spectrometry data opens opportunities for new insights, and outline emerging AI strategies to overcome FAIR data challenges such as incomplete and inconsistent metadata. Josef D. Rasinger has gained hands-on experience in secondary data analysis and FAIR data practices from his work with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the Norwegian Scientific Committe for Food Safety and the Environment (VKM), and FAO/WHO. In his presentation, Josef will highlight the practical hurdles of working with large scale systematic literature reviews and complex data extraction challenges in the context of food safety risk assessments and share insights from a practitioner’s perspective on how FAIR data can support this work. Please note that the views expressed by the speaker are personal and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Full text

FAIR Data in Food Safety Risk Assessment A practitioner's perspective Open Access Week October 23rd, 2025 Josef D. Rasinger* *Dr. J. D. Rasinger, is currently employed with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). However, the positions and opinions presented in this presentation are those of the author alone and are not intended to/do not necessarily represent the views/any official position of EFSA. Picture: PowerPoint Stock Image Overview Food safety risk assessments Systematic literature reviews Data extraction FAIR Data Concluding remarks Risk Assessments Hazard identification, hazard characterization, exposure assessment, and risk characterization Protect public and environmental health through rigorous analysis and review (re-using) research data •Benefit and risk assessment of fish in the Norwegian diet (VKM, 2022) •Joint FAO/WHO expert consultation on the risks and benefits of fish consumption: meeting report (FAO & WHO 2024) •Re‐evaluation of acesulfame K (E 950) as food additive (EFSA FAP Panel, 2025) Systematic literature review and evidence integration •Protocol and description of literature search for the risk-benefit assessment of fish in the Norwegian diet (VKM, 2020) •FAO/WHO background document on the risks and benefits of fish consumption (FAO & WHO 2024) •Revised Protocol on Hazard Identification and Characterisation of Sweeteners (EFSA 2023) Food Safety Risk Assessments Picture: PowerPoint Stock Image Protocols for Risk Assessments Screenshot: https://zenodo.org/records/7788969 Zenodo Screenshot: https://about.zenodo.org/ Screenshot: https://zenodo.org/communities/efsa-kj/about EFSA Knowledge Junction Screenshot: https://zenodo.org/communities/efsa-kj/about •What it is: A curated, open-access repository for sharing evidence and supporting materials in food and feed safety risk assessments. •Purpose: To improve transparency, reproducibility, and evidence reuse. •Who can use it: Open to all – contributions are welcome. •What data can be found: •Evidence: Reports, datasets, images, videos, lab outputs. •Supporting Materials: Software, models, code, protocols, FAQs. •Risk Assessment Docs: Mandates, opinions, guidance, strategic plans. •Features: •Each item gets a DOI, metadata, and usage licence. •Enables tracking of reuse and attribution. Systematic literature review and evidence integration* 1•Problem formulation and protocol development 2•Search for and select studies for inclusion 3•Assess quality of individual studies 4•Extract data from studies 5•Synthesize evidence & rate confidence in the body of evidence 6•Translate confidence ratings into level of evidence of health effects 7•Integrate evidence to develop hazard characterisation *(adapted from: NTP, OHAT Handbook, 2019) Systematic literature review and evidence integration* Screenshot: https://zenodo.org/records/7788969 Systematic literature review and evidence integration* 1•Problem formulation and protocol development 2•Search for and select studies for inclusion 3•Extract data from studies 4•Assess quality of individual studies 5•Synthesize evidence & rate confidence in the body of evidence 6•Translate confidence ratings into level of evidence of health effects 7•Integrate evidence to develop hazard characterisation *(NTP, OHAT Handbook, 2019) FAIR Data Example Screenshot: https://zenodo.org/records/5076033#.YsV7G3ZBzGJ FAIR Data Example •Databases Evaluated: •OpenFoodTox: EFSA’s chemical hazards database. •Seafood Database: Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Norway •Methods & Tools: •R & Shiny to develop web applications for data extraction, subsetting, and merging. •GitHub for code sharing and Zenodo for data and code archiving with persistent DOIs. •Evaluated current database interfaces and developed new tools to address limitations in accessibility, interoperability, and reusability. •Video (OneEU2022 Conference) •https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bavTva_hJ2o •Proof of Concept Lessons learned from a practitioner's perspective Challenges in Data Access Obstacles like restrictive formats and incomplete data when accessing scientific datasets. Transparency and standardization FAIR data principles improve transparency and standardization, enabling better data integration and analysis. Efficiency and cost reduction FAIR principles reduce time and cost in data collection and analysis for food safety risk assessments. Trust and impact FAIR data enhances reproducibility, trust, and visibility for informed regulatory decision making. Picture: PowerPoint Stock Image Promoting open science and FAIR data Benefits Archiving research data in FAIR-compliant repositories ensures data accessibility, discoverability, and long-term usability. Using standardized formats and metadata enhances data interoperability and integration across datasets. Challenges Implementing FAIR practices poses challenges for stakeholders (researchers, data curators librarians, publishers, funding agencies, …). Engaging the Community Working with all stakeholders (researchers, data curators librarians, publishers, funding agencies, …) to increase FAIRness of data to build consensus on complex scientific questions. Picture: PowerPoint Stock Image References •Benefit and risk assessment of fish in the Norwegian diet (2022) •Joint FAO/WHO expert consultation on the risks and benefits of fish consumption: meeting report, Rome, 9–13 October 2023 •Re‐evaluation of acesulfame K (E 950) as food additive (2025) •NTP OHAT Handbook (2019) •Protocol and description of literature search for the risk-benefit assessment of fish in the Norwegian diet •FAO/WHO background document on the risks and benefits of fish consumption •Revised Protocol on Hazard Identification and Characterisation of Sweeteners •Chemical Hazards Database (OpenFoodTox) | EFSA •https://zenodo.org/communities/efsa-kj/about Picture: PowerPoint Stock Image