Data policy

Sharing and re-using research data has received increasing international attention in recent years. In 2007, the OECD published its "Principles and Guidelines for access to research data from public funding", and in European research we must now comply with the "Guidelines on Data Management in Horizon 2020".

There are many benefits to sharing research data. The Norwegian Research Council (NRC) emphasizes, among other things, that “Better access to research data strengthens the quality of research, both because results can be more easily validated and verified, and because data can be used in new ways and in combination with other data. Open access to research data contributes to fewer duplications and unnecessary duplications of work and can facilitate for more interdisciplinary research”.

The Research Council has formulated a separate policy in this area which states that “publicly funded research data shall contribute to research data being available to relevant users, on equal terms, at the lowest possible cost. The guidelines in the policy apply to all data in projects that are funded by the NRC - with some exceptions”.

The guidelines in this policy describe how the data should be archived, made available to others and how it should be shared. Key words are embargo periods, use of licenses on research data, the need for a long-term plan for data management and more.

Partners in NMDC are committed to best practice management of research data and adheres to the guidelines and recommendations from NRC and European research data management. Some of the institutions has adopted their own data management policy, others are in the process of documenting this policy.

The NMDC Project encourages all partners to document a policy on data sharing and re-use.