DataverseNL, the national platform for sharing and sustainably storing scientific research data, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Tilburg University was one of the initiators and is the only member of the network to have a Dataverse repository with the international CoreTrustSeal quality label. Discover more about Tilburg University’s pioneering role, future plans, and how you can join the anniversary celebration.
DataverseNL is a platform in which 26 Dutch institutions sustainably deposit and share research data. It is hosted by DANS, the national expert center for research data in The Hague.
Tilburg University’s own data repository within the platform is called Tilburg University Dataverse. Here, scholars can store and describe research data and make them accessible for others, and find and reuse existing datasets.
The use of Tilburg University Dataverse is based on the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Re-usable). FAIR data are an important foundation of Open Science: the commitment to transparent and accessible scientific research.
Open Science also requires a robust network of data repositories (archives). Within this network, Tilburg University Dataverse is an important link.
“We always make our data accessible via Dataverse because we think open science is very important. Dataverse not only offers us a way to unlock our data for others (with a DOI as a bonus :)) but it also helps us to store our data in a well-organized and accessible way.” - Naomi Kamoen and Christine Liebrecht, Department of Communication and Cognition
Few people know that Tilburg University has played a pioneering role as early as since 2007 in the secure, safe, and ethical handling of research data. Here are some of its key milestones.
In 2007, Tilburg University appointed a data specialist. From then on, the first publications and the associated data have been published together. This reflected the fact that science attributed increasing importance to research data.
In 2012, the Data Services working group was set up and the first Tilburg datasets were deposited in Harvard Dataverse in the United States. In that same year, Tilburg University and Utrecht University took the initiative for the precursor to DataverseNL: the Dutch Dataverse Network (DDN). This development was fueled by the introduction of new European privacy legislation, which made it mandatory to store the research data of Dutch research institutions in the Netherlands.
In 2015, DNN’s name was changed to DataverseNL, after more and more institutions had joined the network.
In 2017, the Data Services working group was discontinued and the Research Data Office was launched, bringing the expertise on archiving, IT, and legal affairs around research data together.
In 2018, the Tilburg University Executive Board approved the Research Data Management regulations. In that same year, we were the first research institution within the platform to earn a quality label for our data repository: the CoreTrustSeal. This is currently the most widely used standard for certification of data repositories. Tilburg University is still the only member with a Dataverse repository with this international quality label.
In 2014, the Departments of Economics (TiSEM), Social Psychology (TSB), and the Tilburg Center for Cognition and Communication (TSHD) were front runners in the use of Tilburg University Dataverse but now 26 Departments from all five Tilburg University Schools make use of the Tilburg data repository. In the coming years, Tilburg University wants to further stimulate the use of Tilburg University Dataverse.
Apart from data, there will be an increased focus on storing, sharing, and making research software available sustainably. Software is increasingly an essential part of research output, and therefore, like data, deserves a place within an open and reliable research infrastructure.
More attention will also be paid to community building around Tilburg University Dataverse. Within the frameworks of the Open Science NL program, a community manager has recently been appointed to the LIS Research Support team. In addition, a preservation plan is being developed to guarantee the sustainable accessibility of datasets.
On June 10, DANS organizes an anniversary event in Utrecht for and by researchers and research support staff in celebration of its 10th anniversary. The program consists of keynotes, presentations, and workshops for and by researchers and research support staff. Tilburg University’s Research Data Office will contribute to the workshop “CoreTrustSeal quality label for DataverseNL repositories”.
Are you interested? Check out the program on the event website.
More information about Tilburg University Dataverse and support can be found on the website.
A Data publishing and Tilburg University Dataverse webinar is offered on a regular basis and upon request. They are announced in the Tilburg University Library events calendar.
Departments can also request a demonstration of Tilburg University Dataverse, for instance, as part of a Department meeting or a PhD theme day. If you have a request, please contact the Research Data Office, via rdo@tilburguniversity.edu.
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