Recommendations for open access to research data

Open access to research data means that data is made freely available online, following the principle “as open as possible, as closed as necessary”. The Swedish Government’s objective is for the transition to open access to research data to be completed by 2026. Researchers who have received funding from Forte are recommended to develop data management plans.

The purpose of open access to research data is to ensure that data collected or generated during the course of research is openly available and thus easy to find, review, share and reuse. Determining which data can be published with open access shall always be based on applicable legislation.To promote the usability of research data made openly accessible, data management should follow the FAIR principles — that is, data should be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable.

Recommendations for FAIR and open research data (vr.se) External link.

Researchers are recommended to develop data management plans

Good data management is a key component of open access to research data. Using a Data Management Plan (DMP), researchers can describe how data are collected and/or created, how they will be handled during the course of the research, and how they will be taken care of afterwards. The data management plan promotes the secure and accurate handling of research data.

Forte recommends all grantees to produce a data management plan, in accordance with the recommendations of their administrating organisation.