Creation of MareData, a new thematic network for open research data
4/20/16
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), along with five other universities and the CSIC- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spanish National Research Council) have created MareData, a Spanish open research data network.
This project is aimed at improving collaboration among researchers in the area of Open Data, a movement to make certain type of data freely available to everyone. It also targets providing service to research entities and companies interested in accessing specific scientific information.
Universidad de Barcelona (UB) will be the network coordination center, with the participation of UC3M as well as Universidad de Alicante (UA), Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), the Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos (IATA-CSIC), Ingenio (a CSIC center affiliated with the UPV) and UISYS, a CSIC center linked to the Universidad de Valencia.
The network, which receives funding from the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, represents a boost to open science in Spain. In addition to access without restrictions to data resulting from publicly funded research, the network MareData seeks to increase participation in Spanish research in a Horizon2020 program pilot program on open research data. At the same time it intends to create new lines of research and collaboration among stakeholders in Open Data and Open Science and put in place development of recommendations for research data management.
According to the members of the network, scientific data stirs a great deal of interest because of its potential for repurpose and reuse, not only for the research and development (R + D) sector, but also on the part of infomediary sector industry and companies, which are dedicated to managing a sea of Internet data, collecting, analyzing, filtering, organizing and commercializing large quantities of data that come from diverse sources.
“The findings of publicly funded research generate interest in the public sector, and as such, not only publications, but also data should be open and reusable so as to foment scientific development and reproducibility in research,” noted Eva Méndez, professor from the UC3M department of Library and Information Science and a participant in this project.
.Tony Hernández, from the same department and also a project member pointed out that one of the objectives of the MareData project responds to the need to make researchers and research managers aware of the benefits of making scientific data available as well as research publications and findings.
UC3M also participated in the Curator-E Project, linked to MareData. Among this project’s aims is the creation of an observatory of research data management and the creation of a map of research groups in Spain. Curator-E’s objective is to assist university libraries, research centers, research groups and managers of scientific policy in decision making and provide orientation on the design of repository plans, management and conservation of research data. Furthermore, it foments creation of policies that contribute to instilling awareness in researchers, librarians, and other stakeholders of scientific communication regarding the importance and benefits of research data sharing.
