The report analyses the state of FAIR practices and policies at the disciplinary and regional level. It describes the origin of differences in their implementation, their implications and how they can be addressed. It offers six recommendations on how to put FAIR into practice for the EOSC, research funders and policymakers.
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Six Recommendations for Implementation of FAIR Practice

By FAIR in Practice Task Force of the European Open Science Cloud FAIR Working Group

Edited by: the EOSC Executive Board

October 2020

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report analyses the state of FAIR practices within diverse research communities and FAIR-related policies in different countries and offers six practical recommendations on how FAIR can be turned into practice. These recommendations are aimed primarily at decision making entities of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), as well as research funders:

1. Fund awareness-raising, training, education and community-specific support.
2. Fund development, adoption and maintenance of community standards, tools and infrastructure.
3. Incentivise development of community governance.
4. Translate FAIR guidelines for other digital objects.
5. Reward and recognise improvements of FAIR practice.
6. Develop and monitor adequate policies for FAIR data and research objects.

In order to ensure widespread benefits of the EOSC, improvements in FAIR practices are necessary. We believe that the timing of this report, which coincides with the fully-fledged launch of the EOSC, could help the EOSC, research funders and policymakers make crucial strategic decisions about investment needed to put FAIR principles into practice.

 

 

© European Union, 2020

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  1. INTRODUCTION

  2. METHODOLOGY

2.1. Limitations

  1. FAIR PRACTICES: A DISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVE

3.1. Technical impediments

3.2. Social impediments

3.3. Technical solutions

3.4. Social enablers

  1. FAIR PRACTICES: A REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE

4.1. Main approaches in Europe

4.2. Outside Europe

4.3. General commonalities, differences, and gaps in Europe

4.3.1. Commonalities
4.3.2. Differences
4.3.3. Gaps

  1. FAIR PRACTICES FOR OTHER RESEARCH OBJECTS

5.1. FAIR Digital Objects used in research

5.2. Current Practice

5.2.1. Software
5.2.2. Services
5.2.3. Workflows
5.2.4. Executable notebooks

5.3. Commonalities and Gaps

  1. ADDRESSING DIFFERENCES IN FAIR MATURITY BETWEEN COMMUNITIES

6.1. Importance of internal drivers

6.2. Top-down approaches need to take into account community needs

  1. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVING FAIR PRACTICES