Back 20.01.2025

Enhancing ORD in Switzerland – Analysis and recommendations from the Sounding Board of Service Providers

  • Author.s Sounding Board of Service Providers

This report from the Open Research Data (ORD) Sounding Board of Service Providers, commissioned by the National ORD Strategy Council, explores key challenges and actionable recommendations to strengthen ORD practices in Switzerland. Representing the perspective of service providers, it focuses on five core areas: Data Archiving & Sharing, User Access, Technical Interoperability, Reuse, and alignment with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).

The report highlights the need for clear policies that balance openness with privacy and intellectual property rights, alongside professional repositories adhering to FAIR principles, backed by sustainable funding and researcher support. It emphasizes making data “as open as possible, as restricted as necessary,” addressing barriers like legal constraints, discoverability, and cost models.

To enable seamless data exchange, the report advocates for enhanced technical interoperability across metadata, data, and services, aligned with international standards. For reuse, it recommends fostering collaboration, adhering to best practices, and consolidating national-level services to reduce silos.

Recognizing the importance of global collaboration, the report calls for aligning Swiss efforts with European initiatives, such as EOSC, through a pragmatic and coordinated approach. These measures aim to build a resilient, sustainable ORD ecosystem, driving innovation and transparency in Swiss research.