Funding Open Data:

Some Thoughts and

Challenges on the Road ahead

ESOF, 19 July 2008

Dr. Max Vögler

Programme Officer
German Research Foundation
(DFG)
Introduction

•  about the DFG

•  Open Data from the funding perspective

•  DFG Practices

•  Perspectives

ESOF 2008 / Max Voegler

Barcelona, 18.-22.07.2008
DFG Mission Statement

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation,

DFG) is the central, self-governing research funding organization that
promotes research at universities and other publicly financed research
institutions in Germany.

The DFG serves all branches of the sciences and the humanities by
funding research projects and facilitating cooperation among
researchers.

ESOF 2008 / Max Voegler

Barcelona, 18.-22.07.2008
DFG Funding 2007

  Funding available:
1,7 billion €
  Projects granted:
21.089
  Money granted:
2,2 billion €
(incl. „Excellence
Initiative“)
Source:http://www.dfg.de/jahresbericht/download/dfg_jb2007.pdf

ESOF 2008 / Max Voegler

Barcelona, 18.-22.07.2008
The Case for Open Data – the public funding perspective

•  Research Data is the “infrastructure of

science”. Publicly funded Basic Research
is thus a public good.

•  Sharing data enables better Science

–  re-analysis of data helps validate and/or
correct previous results
–  research data might be re-analyzed in
different (disciplinary) settings, opening up
new avenues of research beyond the
initial context in which data was collected.

•  Increases the Visibility of a national

research system

ESOF 2008 / Max Voegler

Barcelona, 18.-22.07.2008
The Case for Open Data – the public funding perspective

•  Open data enables efficient science

–  data is not (re-)produced unnecessarily
–  data collection becomes a collective exercise

•  Sharing research data is a reliable way to

counteract misconduct related to data fabrication
and falsification

•  Replication studies (with shared research data)

is an effective means of training new generations
of researchers

•  „Data Publication“ as a (new?, alternate?) means

of scientific recognition

ESOF 2008 / Max Voegler

Barcelona, 18.-22.07.2008
The Case for Open Data – some Challenges
•  Freedom of Science
Does this also imply the freedom to withhold data?

•  Recognition and “first use” privileges

How can I make sure that my publication has maximum impact on my career?
Should data only be published when linked to a publication?

•  Who “owns” the data? (And how do they make it available?)

Funding Agency, Institution, PI, Researcher, Publisher? Can be different in
each case. Just as important: what rights (license) are accorded (re-)use of
data?

Berlin Declaration:
Open access must satisfy …a free, irrevocable, worldwide, right of access to,
and a license to copy, use, distribute, transmit and display the work publicly and
to make and distribute derivative works, in any digital medium for any
responsible purpose, subject to proper attribution of authorship.
ESOF 2008 / Max Voegler
Barcelona, 18.-22.07.2008
The Case for Open Data – some Challenges

•  Quality Control
Can all data be kept forever? Should it? Who decides how, when, where and
why data is stored and for how long?

•  Sustainability
Data needs to be sustainable resource. How do you fund long-term access to
research data? Who pays? And where, when do they pay?

•  Privacy and Patent issues (surveys, interviews, medical data)

There are many legitimate reasons for not making (all) data available.
“Subjects” must trust the researchers that their data remains anonymous.
Balance is especially tricky with qualitative data, e.g. in psychology. Also:
Industrial-academic partnership and “mixed” funding: Open Data becomes
complicated with projects co-funded by industry.

ESOF 2008 / Max Voegler

Barcelona, 18.-22.07.2008
What is the DFG doing… and planning?

Policy Level:

  Encouraging archiving and verification of data sets:

DFG Principles: “Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice” (1996) Includes:
“Primary data as the basis for publications shall be securely stored for ten
years in a durable form in the institution of their origin.”

  Developing a data policies or framework of data policies for funding.

Implementation must be very discipline specific and come through the
disciplinary panels.

ESOF 2008 / Max Voegler

Barcelona, 18.-22.07.2008
What is the DFG doing… and planning?
Funding Pilot Projects

  Publication and Citation of Scientific Primary Data

  cooperation of 4 Data Centers in the environmental sciences and the
German National Library of Science.
  created a DOI agency for primary data enabled researchers to acquire
reputation by providing their own data.
  provided metadata to make primary data findable.
  Documenting, Archiving, and Presenting Primary Data in Psychology
  aims at providing reusable raw data from psychological questionnaires.
  has patient confidentiality among its core issues.
  shows that researcher‘s readiness to hand over their own data sets is
not at all sufficient.
 http://tiborder.gbv.de/psi/DB=2.63/CLK?IKT=8578&TRM=primaerdaten

Research Data Sets in the catalog of the National Library of Science, Hannover
(DFG funded project)
What the DFG is doing... and planning?

Community Building

Every scientific community has its own culture and set of issues, practices and
cultures that must be understood and addressed when tackling data
infrastructure issues.

  Series of Workshops
  Social Sciences (Dec. 2007)
  Infrastructures / Data Centers (Jan. 2008)
  Archaeology (April 2008)
  Life Sciences I: Scoping (Fall 2008)
  ... undoubtedly many more to come.
What the DFG is doing... and planning?

Cooperation: We are not alone!

The DFG can help finance certain measures. But we are a self-governing
funding organization. Must work with other actors to achieve results.

  Alliance of Research Organizations “National Initiative on Digital

Information” (DFG, Max Planck, Helmholtz, Frauenhofer, Leibniz Institutes,
Rectors Conference, Science Council (Wissenschaftsrat)
Partners have embarked on a joint initiative. One of the themes will be
research data a the focus on data policies, data sustainability, etc.

  Knowledge Exchange
DFG Works together with other European organizations (DEFF, DK; JISC, UK;
and SURF, NL) to address infrastructure issues related to research data.

  ESF Members Forum on OA to Research Data

Want to work with other funding agencies on these problems.
What is (and what should be) on our agenda for the coming years
  Encouraging the publication of data sets
Within the scholarly communication cycle, the publication of data sets needs
to be given a higher standing. Need infrastructure, development of legal
framework, other incentives to make this possible.

  Exploring the European Dimension to Data

Coordinated system to curate, archive and make data accessible would be an
invaluable contribution to ERA. How to coordinate? (ESFRI-like process?)
How to create long term financing? How to align policies, financing, etc.?

  Working across sectors

Good opportunity to work together with publishers and other actors. On Data
issues, there should be much common ground.

  Think Disciplines
EU: Europe (or Germany, or the UK, or...) as the best possible home for
global research communities. With data, this can be put into practice.
 Thank you!
Questions?
Dr. Max Voegler
Programme Officer
DFG
max.voegler@dfg.de

ESOF 2008 / Max Voegler

Barcelona, 18.-22.07.2008