DTU is the first university in Denmark to collect research data from all parts of the university on a common platform. DTU Data is a digital, searchable archive where DTU's researchers can publish data generated in research projects and make them accessible to everyone.
DTU has now been awarded a recognized certification from CoreTrustSeal (CTS)—an international, non-profit organization established to promote viable and trustworthy research infrastructure. The certification is the researchers' and the outside world's assurance that their data is shared in a secure environment that meets international standards.
"The awarding of the certification is a quality stamp and reflects DTU's digitization strategy and efforts in the field of Open Science," says DTU's Provost, Rasmus Larsen: "It emphasizes that DTU meets grant providers' expectations for open access to data, that data is available in a trustworthy and secure environment and that we follow good practices. It benefits DTU's researchers, collaboration partners, and the outside world."
Documented processes
DTU Library has been responsible for the certification process, which has required extensive documentation of work processes and governance.
"For us, it is important that we support the researchers' work and meet their needs for data sharing," says Jitka Stilund Hansen, who works with research data management at DTU Library:
"We do this, among other things, by ensuring that the data uploaded is FAIR, which means that they are findable, accessible, and can be used by others. We review all datasets submitted for publication. The data sets undergo a quality check and an ethical and legal check, and then we curate the content. For example, we always ensure there is a short introduction to each data set so that users know what they are dealing with."
DTU's researchers are increasingly using DTU Data—also for collaborations in international projects.
