Research data college

Building on the French Act for a Digital Republic which prompts government institutions to make their data automatically available and reusable at no charge, the French government recently decided to further its action for scientific data sharing in the context of two international endeavours:

• By joining the GO FAIR initiative as a founding member ((http://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/cid124728/science-ouverte-la-france-rejoint-go-fair-en-tant-que-co-fondatrice.html))
• By committing itself to build an Open Science ecosystem as part of its Open Government Action Plan 2018-2020 ((https://gouvernement-ouvert.etalab.gouv.fr/pgo-concertation/topic/5a1bfc1b498edd6b29cb10d4))

The second commitment of the national plan for open science is an invitation to “structure and, as far as possible, make research data available to all as Open Data”.

Above and beyond these political initiatives, making scientific data ((“Data“ being understood in its broadest meaning, i.e. raw data, code, workflows)) become F.A.I.R. ((https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata201618)) (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) means that institutions take on the challenges and identify appropriate ways and means that make researchers and research communities seize the opportunities of “data-driven” science.

There is a need for action in institution policies, infrastructure development for data management, sharing and analysis, and for research, IT, library staff training, i.e. for a cultural shift to sharing and collaborative practices, and to generating value from research results (open innovation). This can also mean pooled or at least concerted action.

There are at least two identified strands of work on data-related issues: the one undertaken by the “infranum” working group led by the MESRI/DGRI/SSRI and the RDA France chapter being run by the CNRS.