Open access to research data means that data collected and/or created during the course of research shall be published with free access via internet. The government’s objective is that all research data produced using public funds are published with open access.

The purpose of open access to research data is to ensure that data that has been collected and/or created during the course of the research can be shared and reused. The national work of implementing open access to research data is coordinated by the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet).

Determining which data can be published with open access shall always be based on applicable legislation. If research data can be used and reused without conditions other than to specify the source, they are defined as open research data.

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. Forte recommends all grantees to produce a data management plan, in accordance with the recommendations of the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) and SUHF.

Producing a data management plan (vr.se)

Digital tool for data management plans

Until October 2021, Swedish higher education institutions can access DMPonline, a digital tool for data management plans, via the Swedish Research Council. Read more about how to access this tool.