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Imagine a world where scientists come together to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery. A world where research data – be it raw, processed, or analyzed – is accessible, available, and reusable by all. Researchers from different disciplines can access and explore data, perform new analyses, and generate fresh insights, building upon each other’s results. A world where…

  • Collaboration has become the norm. Sharing data spurs new mechanisms for communication and cooperation around science

  • Improved access fosters greater equity and inclusiveness. Everyone can participate in the advancement of knowledge and scientists can fully leverage the advantages offered by data wherever and whoever they are

  • Interdisciplinarity and innovation are facilitated. By drawing from multiple disciplines, science is innovative, creative, and dynamic. It is empowered to tackle global challenges with precision and impact

  • Science is trusted and supported by society. New standards of transparency and rigor increase the quality of research. Reproducibility takes center stage and on a larger scale

This means better science, and this is what ORD stands for.

The ORD Strategy Council wholeheartedly supports this. At its core, the National ORD Strategy places researchers and research communities in a pivotal role. A streamlined ORD not only drives innovation but also empowers research communities and enhances scientists’ engagement with data.

More on the StraCo

Our Strategy and Action Plan

The purpose of the ORD Strategy is to define overarching objectives and principles for the Swiss ORD landscape.

It provides a framework for the development of practices built around sharing research data, and for the governance of services and infrastructures supporting researchers and enabling ORD practices. In Switzerland, the governance of ORD is guided by the following principles, outlined in the National ORD Strategy. 

  • FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) 
  • Good research practice includes openness
  • As open as possible, as protected as necessary
  • Recognition of the value of data
  • Respecting disciplinary diversity
  • Connection to national and international ecosystems
  • A sustainable approach

ORD Strategy

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ORD Action Plan

To achieve the ambitious goals set out in the ORD Strategy, four key action areas have been identified within an Action Plan. These action areas provide clear directions. Within each one, specific action lines are managed by the partner institutions, thereby embodying the “different actors, different actions, same goals” principle. A significant aspect of the Action Plan is the shared commitment to coordination and collaboration among participants. To support this, we established the Strategy Council to provide leadership for the ORD Action Plan.

Action areas
Different Actors, Different Actions, Same Goals​
  1. A Communities and practices
    Support researchers and research communities in imagining and adopting ORD practices
    • A.1 Provide bottom-up support to promote excellence in ORD practices
    • A.1.1 Conceptualise a broad national funding measure for exploratory ORD projects; respect needs of different disciplines and HEIs; enable communities at different levels of maturity to advance ORD practices without duplicating existing measures/schemes.
    • A.1.2.1 Provide ORD grants to (a) support and develop ORD practices that primarily benefit researchers, and (b) help researchers develop ORD practices.
    • A.1.2.2 By extension, provide ORD grants to research communities in a community building and institution building approach.
  2. B Infrastructures and Service
    Development, promotion, and maintenance of financially sustainable basic infrastructures and services for all researchers
    • B.1 Evaluate the Swiss ORD landscape with regard to the consolidation and strategic development of services and infrastructures.
    • B1.1 An independent pilot study of selected providers of services and infrastructures identifies how and what they can contribute to the ORD landscape.
    • B.1.2 Consolidate existing basic infrastructures and service and existing community specific infrastructures and services.
    • B.1.3 Commission a report to establish, operate, and specify processes for identifying new needs for infrastructures and services.
    • B.2 Provide researchers with long-term ORD services and infrastructures.
    • B.3 Ensure long-term funding of ORD infrastructures and services of foremost national relevance.
    • B.3.1 Pathway 5: regular monitoring of the national and international ORD landscape.
    • B.3.2 Pathway 5: long-term funding based on decisions by the ORD Strategy Council for ORD infrastructures and services of foremost national relevance.
    • B.4 Provide access to ORD services and infrastructures and improve interoperability.
    • B.5 Professionalisation of ORD specialists and related services.
    • B.5.1 Establish and maintain/update Swisswide best practices of ORD expertise.
    • B.5.2 Promote and incentivise data steward-ship/ORD specialists at all research institutions in Switzerland; incentivise the hiring of Open Science experts, data stewards, and other experts to build competence centres at HEIs and promote cooperation between HEIs by providing startup funding.
    • B.5.3 Establish networks for ORD experts (e.g. data stewards), if possible encompassing other experts (e.g., data curators).
    • B.5.4 Establish ORD expertise (e.g. data stewardship) as an independent career path at HEIs by 2028.
  3. C Skills
    Equip researchers for ORD skills development and exchange best practices​
    • C.1 Raising awareness of FAIR principles and ORD practices in the scientific community
    • C.1.1 ORD advocacy programmes are estab-lished on both a national and institutional level, including an outreach campaign to provide researchers with easily accessible and regularly updated information and resources as well as information on relevant international and national ORD initiatives.
    • C.1.2 Create and foster long-term networks (e.g. permanent working groups or Citizen Science networks) of research communities with the aim of building a common understanding of best practices and methods leading to effective ORD practices and standards.
    • C.1.3 Mobilise and facilitate participation in relevant international initiatives.
    • C.2 Training researchers for RDM and ORD practices.
    • C2.1 Projects developing good practices for RDM training at HEIs in consultation with research communities. RDM training is included as a required element in all curricula, from bachelor’s to doctoral programmes.
    • C2.2 RDM training is included as a required element in all curricula, from bachelor’s to doctoral programmes.
    • C2.3 Framework for systematic communication between trainers and data stewards to facilitate professionalisation and the exchange of experiences, best practices, needs, and to develop training modules.
  4. D Institutions​
    Build up systemic und supportive conditions for institutions and research communities​
    • D.1 Incentives and rewards
    • D.1.1 Develop and implement criteria to evaluate Open Science activities and to reward data sharing and reuse, building on international best practice (e.g. DORA, Open Science Career Assessment Matrix) in dialogue with research communities. Develop and adapt assessment processes to make ORD practices a prerequisite for funding, building on exchange of best practice among higher education, research and education institutions, and other national and international stakeholders.
    • D.1.2 Develop and adapt assessment processes to make ORD practices a prerequisite for funding, building on exchange of best practice among higher education, research and education institutions, and other national and international stakeholders.
    • D.1.3 Develop, implement, and adapt assessment processes to make ORD practice a prerequisite for recruitment and career advancement, building on exchange of best practice among higher education and research institutions as well as other national and international stakeholders.
    • D.1.4 Establish national ORD prizes to reward and promote ORD best practices and to foster the transition to practices that set standards and create new opportunities for an entire (data-)community, including junior researchers.
    • D.2 Ethical and legal aspects
    • D.2.1 A common understanding/bench-marks/best practices/guidelines on the question of data ownership (including data, code sharing) and data protection are developed.
    • D.2.2 HEIs adapt best practices regarding data ownership (including data, code sharing) and data protection to their own needs.
    • D.2.3 Incentivise, support, and fund Re-search Data Protection Officers (RDPO) at HEIs where necessary to build up support for research communities in legal questions.
    • D.2.4 Monitor and publish information on lawful licensing of data/metadata and software with the aim of fostering correct reuse.
    • D.2.5 Develop guidelines for collaboration with the private sector to determine whether, when, and how commercially sensitive data are to be developed, regularly updated, and made openly accessible.
    • D.2.6 Develop and disseminate discipline or data community specific codes of conduct with regard to ORD.
    • D.3 International alignment
    • D.3.1 Regular updated analysis of the interconnectedness of the Swiss research landscape and its representation in European and global initiatives, including an overview of European and global initiatives with an assessment of their value for the Swiss landscape; existing gaps are identified, and adequate measures developed.
    • D.3.2 Review and facilitate Swiss participation in ERIC (adapt legal framework; own position in ERI for membership fees)

Booklet Action Plan

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