European repositories are critical components for open science. They collectively acquire, preserve, and provide open access to tens or possibly hundreds of millions of valuable research outputs.
In January 2023, OpenAIRE, LIBER, SPARC Europe, and COAR unveiled a joint strategy to strengthen the European repository network. This initiative aims to reinforce and enhance repositories across Europe by emphasising their value, spreading best practices, and supporting the establishment of national networks.
As the first step, a comprehensive survey of the European repository landscape was conducted from February to March 2023. The survey revealed that European repositories collectively acquire, preserve, and provide open access to tens, if not hundreds, of millions of valuable research outputs, serving as critical, non-profit infrastructure in the European open science landscape. However, the survey also identified several areas needing improvement. Specifically, repositories face three primary challenges:
- Maintaining up-to-date, highly functional software platforms.
- Implementing consistent and comprehensive best practices in metadata, preservation, and usage statistics.
- Achieving appropriate visibility in the scholarly ecosystem.
Based on these findings, it was agreed to prepare a position paper outlining our collective vision for the future of repositories in Europe. To achieve this, we are seeking input from various communities to gather insights and feedback. This open consultation is specifically designed to collect input for a variety of stakeholder communities, and your participation is vital. The information gathered will inform the initial draft of the position paper, which will be further refined through focus groups.
Give us your opinion
The consultation will be open until the end of August 2024.