CSC - IT Center for Science Ltd. is establishing the national research information hub at the behest of the Ministry of Education and Culture. The planned service will serve as a warehouse for metadata on, for example, publications, research data, research infrastructures, researchers, projects/projects and research groups.
The amount of different research being produced is increasing along with the advent of digitising research and open science, with information on these being increasingly collected in separate information systems. The sensible and easy management of research outputs requires a uniform specification for research metadata and its seamless processing. Metadata is used in research work and administrative processes related to research, such as information retrieval, funding applications and reporting, publishing, the compilation of statistics and other dissemination of research data.
The rationalisation of information flows lightens the administrative workload and makes them more accessible and easier to find. This will benefit researchers, research organisations, funders and parties making decisions based on data. In addition, research outcomes will be more accessible to citizens using it.
A new window into Finnish research
Using research information will become easier in the future with the introduction of a new research information hub. The Ministry of Education and Culture (MINEDU) has authorised CSC to implement and coordinate a national service, which compiles metadata on, for example, publications, research data, research infrastructures, researchers, projects and research groups.
In just a few years, information that can be easily and openly accessed from a single source will provide a comprehensive picture of the research being conducted in Finland.
"The administrative workload will be lightened when existing information become more accessible and easier to find. This will also enhance the impact of research," says Counsellor of Education Erja Heikkinen of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
"Properly executed, the research information hub will offer an outstanding opportunity to, for example, observe how different research infrastructures are used in research across disciplines and between them, without increasing the reporting load for researchers," explains Pekka Lehtovuori, Director, Services for Research at CSC.
The amount of different research output is increasing along with the advent of a digitising, open science. Research metadata is used in research work and its attendant administration, such as funding applications and reporting, information retrieval, publishing and the compilation of statistics.
At present, data are stored in numerous information systems. The goal of the research information hub is to enhance the usage of existing data. When procedures are standardised and automated, administrative work is made easier. The goal is that we will no longer be required to enter data into several different systems.