How expensive is FAIR compliance and how expensive is it to not be FAIR compliant - RDA 11th Plenary BoF meeting

BoF Meeting title:

How expensive is FAIR compliance and how expensive is it to not be FAIR compliant

Collaborative session notes:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m5zg2z0JDUwjJarbUi5wTg69AYW7NKR_5VAw...

Short introduction describing the scope of the group and if any previous activities

This session, organised by DG Research and Innovation (DG RTD) of the European Commission, aims to bring together stakeholders coming from science and research, public administration and industry, who are active and/or interested in FAIR data, in order to discuss the financial impact, the benefits and the costs for the implementation of the FAIR principles.

Findable, accessible, interoperable and re-usable (FAIR) data is an integral part in the process of opening up science and research. Improving the alignment of research data to the FAIR principles will:

• Unlock the potential for both scientific research and society to draw from the benefits of this data, and
• Enable significant contribution to economic growth.

Accordingly, the Open Science agenda contains the ambition to make FAIR data sharing the default for scientific research by 2020.

However, moving from the current way of managing science and research data towards FAIR requires a paradigm shift, investments and cultural change. 

The European Commission has recently launched a study with the following main objectives:

1. Estimate the costs of not having FAIR research data (for the EU science and innovation system and as a result to the EU data economy); and
2. Estimate the direct and indirect costs and benefits of FAIR research data, both in economic and non-economic terms.

The quantitative estimation of the costs and benefits for the implementation of the FAIR principles is of great interest for scientific communities and there are already disciplines and countries that have developed relevant experience. This session will also represent an opportunity to link important similar initiatives and to share experience that could be re-used by all.

Additional links to informative material related to the group

We will share informative material from a cost-benefit analysis study for FAIR data carried out by PwC EU Services for DG RTD of the European Commission (focusing on methodology and preliminary findings).

Meeting objectives

• Discuss the value proposition, the economic benefits and the financial impact of FAIR data.
• Refer to pertinent initiatives at a discipline or national level by inviting their owners to present their practices, findings, challenges and conclusions.
• Reveal commonalities, useful for any community (including policy makers) having financial concerns about FAIR implementation and its economic and innovation potential.
• Present and discuss the findings of the work of the European Commission to estimate the cost of not having FAIR research data.
• Present for discussion a draft of the measuring methodology for the  costs and challenges associated with FAIR data implementation and compliance. The methodology will be tested and fine-tuned with a number of case studies that will be co-selected during the session.

Meeting agenda

• Introduction and policy context by the European Commission, 10'
  Athanasios Karalopoulos, Open Data Policy and Science Cloud Unit, DG Research & Innovation
• The cost of not having FAIR data in Europe, 15'
  Nikolaos Loutas, Director, Technology Consulting, PwC
• Lightning talks
  - The EC Expert Group on FAIR Data perspective, 10'
  Simon Hodson, Executive Director, CODATA, Chair of the EC Expert Group on FAIR Data
  - How to reach a consensus among the metrics? Are the current FAIR principles easily measurable, independent and complete?, 10'
  Luiz Bonino, International Technology Coordinator, GO-FAIR
  - Main conclusions with regards to the economic costs and benefits analysis conducted in Denmark, and the choice of the methodology, 10'
  Sarah Kildahl Nielsen, Senior Consultant, Højbjerre Brauer Schultz, Denmark
• Panel discussion with the speakers  from the lightning talks and all participants, 30'
  Chair: Nikolaos Loutas, Director, Technology Consulting, PwC
• Conclusions and next steps

Target audience:

Research infrastructures, e-infrastructures, research performing organisations, research funders, researchers and experts from public administration and industry, who are active and/or interested in FAIR data.

Group chair serving as contact person: Athanasios Karalopoulos

Type of meeting: Informative meeting