Search for: All records

The Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) have collaborated and led national discussions to improve public access to data resulting from federally funded research. As part of the NSF-funded (NSF # 1939279) Accelerating Public Access to Research Data Initiative, AAU and APLU convened representatives from the university teams at an Acceleration Conference in 2020 and facilitated two national Summits to help universities create robust systems for ensuring effective public access to high-quality research data and develop the current Guide. The Guide has been informed by 261 campus representatives from 111 institutions, representatives from several federal agencies, and other key stakeholders. The Guide is designed to help institutions develop and promote systems to support sharing of research data. It provides advice concerning actions that can be taken to improve access to research data on campuses. It also contains information about the infrastructure and support that may be required to facilitate data access, and it offers specific examples of how various institutions are approaching challenges to sharing research data and results. 

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the Association of American Universities (AAU), with support from the National Science Foundation, convened the Accelerating Public Access to Research Data Workshop on October 29-30, 2018. The purpose of the workshop was to provide a venue for learning, sharing, and planning (campus roadmaps) to support research universities as they create and implement institutional and cross-institutional strategies and systems to provide public access to research data. It also provided a forum for participants to hear from federal agencies concerning their current activities and plans regrading data access. To date, institutional efforts to provide public access to research data have lacked coordination. Additionally, a long-term multi-institutional strategy for data access has been slow to develop due to the complexities of data management and the decentralized nature of the research enterprise. Access to data presents a particularly difficult challenge given the technical knowledge required and the variation in data creation and use across disciplines. While providing the public with access to tax-payer-funded research data is challenging, it will ultimately speed the pace of scientific advancement and innovation and strengthen research integrity. The workshop and report, together with prior and subsequent engagement by APLU and AAU, will help to accelerate public access to research data.