Information Industry News
April 16, 2024
The Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information was prepared by a group of over 25 research information experts, representing organizations that carry out, fund, and evaluate research, as well as organizations that provide research information infrastructures. The group met in Barcelona in November 2023 in a workshop hosted by SIRIS Foundation. The preparation of the Declaration was coordinated by Bianca Kramer (Sesame Open Science), Cameron Neylon (Curtin Open Knowledge Initiative, Curtin University), and Ludo Waltman (Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University).
Among others, Crossref and DataCite are listed as supporters, those who will be providing data, services and infrastructure. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is listed as a signatory of the Declaration, qualifying as an organization performing, funding, or evaluating research.
Basic Statements of the Declaration:
- Signatories agree that openness should be the default.
- Signatories will work with those services and systems that support and enable open research information.
- Signatories will assume responsibility for sustainable support for infrastructures for open research information.
- They will support collective action to accelerate the transition to openness of research information.
These fall under the umbrella of the FAIR principles (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability):
If the highest levels of Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability are realized, research information is both open and FAIR. This for instance requires:
• The use of standardized protocols and persistent identifiers to support high levels of Findability and Interoperability
• Lodging of metadata in widely used repositories and transfer systems to support Findability and Accessibility ANNEX B DEFINITIONS 8
• The application of a Creative Commons CC0 waiver or public domain dedication as appropriate to support Interoperability and Reusability
• Transparency of processing and provenance to support Interoperability and Reusability
• The use of infrastructures that provide standard and open interfaces
SPARC offered this coverage of the release. Coverage in Science (AAAS) noted the potential value.
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