Open
Research
Data
Sharing research data can open the door to boundless knowledge. But finding the key isn’t always so simple.
With a clear understanding of Open Research Data (ORD)’s pivotal role in achieving scientific excellence, Switzerland has crafted an ambitious national strategy dedicated to unlocking its full potential. These efforts are spearheaded by the National ORD Strategy Council, a new governing body in charge of ORD.
Empowering the future of research through ORD
Open Research Data (ORD) refers to the practice of making scientific data freely accessible to everyone while sustaining essential security considerations.
Sharing data fosters greater knowledge dissemination across scientific domains, paving the way for transparent, collaborative, and impactful scientific endeavors.
The global push towards ORD is revolutionizing the scientific landscape, bridging gaps in science, technology, and innovation while upholding the fundamental human right to access and contribute to scientific advancements.
On a national scale, though many institutions in Switzerland have developed ORD policies and infrastructure, researchers still lack a cohesive, efficient ORD ecosystem.
The National ORD Strategy Council (StraCo) was created to overcome this fragmentation. Given our country’s rich diversity of scientific communities and practices, we strongly believe that a coordinated, strategic approach to developing ORD is key to groundbreaking scientific advancements.
A new, coordinated approach
In July 2021, Switzerland’s major players in scientific research—the ETH Domain, the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, the SNSF and swissuniversities—jointly introduced the National ORD Strategy. This collaboration continues through the ORD Strategy Council, a new governance entity uniting the senior office holders of these institutions in an unprecedented setup.
Their mission is to support the development of a strategic, coordinated, and consolidated ecosystem of ORD infrastructure and services, and to function as a catalyst, fostering a common vision for the future of ORD in Switzerland.
guiding principles
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Upholding FAIR principles
Research data should embody the FAIR principles—Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. These principles drive effective data management, optimizing utilization and sharing.
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Considering openness as part of good research practice
Openness is both a prerequisite and a means of supporting high-quality research. It promotes transparency, amplifies the effectiveness of the research process, and allows for better reproducibility of results.
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Understanding that data should be as open as possible, as protected as necessary
With the interest of research communities in mind and to facilitate cooperation with industry, access to data should take data protection obligations and ethical and regulatory requirements into account.
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Recognising the value of data
As science becomes more and more data-intensive, across more and more disciplines, Switzerland’s scientific competitiveness hinges on providing researchers with access to world-class digital infrastructure that support ORD.
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Respecting disciplinary diversity
Research spans diverse fields and communities, each with unique cultures and contexts. Researchers must have the flexibility to adapt ORD practices to fit their academic community— there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
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Supporting connection to national and international ecosystems
Switzerland is no island. We must ensure the interoperability of existing and emerging infrastructure and organizations, such as the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), and compliance with relevant legal frameworks at the national and international levels.
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Pursuing a sustainable approach
ORD services and infrastructure of national relevance must be sustainable across financial, scientific, social, and ecological aspects.
Yesterday,
today,
tomorrow
January 2020
The State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation (SERI) recognizes the need for a strategic and unified approach for ORD and digital infrastructure, tasking swissuniversities with developing a Swiss National Open Research Data Strategy and Action Plan.
July 2021
The ETH Domain, the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, the SNSF and swissuniversities jointly release the Swiss National ORD Strategy, offering a framework for ORD advancement in Switzerland and for the governance of infrastructure and services supporting researchers.
January 2022
The National ORD Action Plan is published, embodying the principles of “Different actors, different actions, same goals”, with each partner institution being responsible for selected action lines. The National ORD Strategy Council (StraCo) is formed to lead its implementation.
The StraCo meets for the first time. This new high-level entity is composed of senior officeholders from partner institutions. A Coordination Group (CoG) is set up to support its work.
September 2022
The first Task Force is launched to investigate the ORD landscape within the Health and Life Sciences cluster and provide the basis for StraCo to develop strategic orientations aimed at advancing ORD within each specific cluster.
January 2023
The Sounding Board Researchers meets for the first time. Its role is to facilitate the deliberations and decisions of the StraCo by acknowledging and accommodating the needs and experiences of experts.
September 2023
The Sounding Board Service Providers meets for the first time. Its role is to facilitate the deliberations and decisions of the StraCo by providing expertise and bringing together specialists from service providers involved in the operational implementation and provision of ORD services.
January 2024
The Task Force of Cluster 2 “Social Sciences and Humanities” meets for the first time.
February 2024
The Task Force of Cluster 1 “Health and Life Sciences” publishes its final report (updated in July 2024), which serves as a basis for the StraCo to formulate strategic orientations for the development of the cluster.
July 2024
The Task Force of Cluster 1 “Health and Life Sciences” publishes an update of its final report (first published in February 2024), following feedback from stakeholders.
A Working Group uses this material to develop strategic orientations for the development of the cluster (the “HLS Blueprint”).
August 2024
The Sounding Board Service Providers publishes a report on Enhancing Open Research Data in Switzerland containing analysis and recommendations on “Data Archiving & Sharing”, “User Access”, “Technical Interoperability”, “Reuse”, and the European Open Science Cloud.
September 2024
The Working Group on Health and Life Sciences publishes the HLS Blueprint Level A, containing strategic orientations for the Health and Life Sciences Cluster.
March 2025
The Stakeholders Exchange on Health and Life Sciences Open Research Data was jointly organized by the ORD Strategy Council (StraCo) and the SERI-Mandated Working Group on Health Data for Research and Other Secondary Usages, aligning their activities to ensure a coordinated and impactful approach. For the StraCo, the Stakeholders Exchange marked the kick-off of the transition from the strategic level of the Blueprint (Level A) to the operational level (Level B), through an inclusive co-creation process. It brought together experts to gather insights, identify gaps, and align perspectives and intentions across stakeholder groups.
April 2025
The Task Force of Cluster 2 “Social Sciences and Humanities” publishes its report providing the analytical, factual foundation for a strategic push to improve coordination, sustainability, and alignment of research data infrastructures (RDIs) within the cluster.
August 2025
At its Annual Retreat on 22 August 2025, the StraCo reviewed its vision and mission and assessed progress on the Blueprint. This reflection highlighted the need to clarify the StraCo’s future direction and sharpen its mandate. As a result, the StraCo initiated an internal process to refine its role and activities. A stakeholder consultation on the proposed changes is planned for Q1 2026, with decisions on the revised mission and any organizational adjustments expected in Spring 2026.
During the retreat, the StraCo also reflected on the future of the Blueprint process. It noted that national ERI actors were unlikely to commit to a common coordination strategy. The StraCo’s key insight was that the Blueprint process will only succeed if it is not only developed with the community—as is currently the case—but also fully owned and driven by it. On this basis, the StraCo decided to step back from managing the Blueprint process in order to support its transition from community involvement to genuine community ownerships.
What’s in it for me?
Whether you are a researcher, a science administrator, or a service provider, the efforts of StraCo are tailored to make a meaningful impact on the ORD ecosystem that resonates with your specific role.
For researchers and research-producing institutions:
- Enjoy better ORD services and infrastructure, to help you work with data more efficiently – be it your own, or that of others.
- Have a voice in the national conversation through the Sounding Board Researchers.
For science administrators and policymakers:
- Transition from complex infrastructure to more efficient and future-proof frameworks.
- Make well-informed decisions regarding the allocation of research funding.
- Benefit from a facilitated collaboration among Education, Research and Innovation (ERI) institutions and organizations.
For service providers:
- Refer to best practices and standards endorsed by the ERI actors.
- Participate in the conversation through the Sounding Board Service Providers.
