Rec. 6: Recognise and reward FAIR data and data stewardship
- Short Title: Rec. 6: Recognise and reward FAIR data and data stewardship
- Source Documnent: Turning FAIR into reality: Final report and action plan from the European Commission expert group on FAIR data
- Source Document Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.2777/1524
- Publishing Organisation: European Commision
- Date of Publication: 2018-11-26
- Topic: Policy, Capacity building/ incentivisation
- Keywords: Reward, credit, acknowledgement
- Addressed Stakeholders: policy makers, institutions, data stewards, research community, research funders
- Full Text: FAIR data should be recognised as a core research output and included in the assessment of research contributions and career progression. The provision of infrastructure and services that enable FAIR data must also be recognised and rewarded accordingly. Action 6.1: Policy guidelines should recognise the diversity of research contributions (including publications, data sets, code, models, online resources, teaching materials) made during a researcher's career and explicitly include these in templates and schema for curricula vitarum, for researchers' applications and activity reports. Action 6.2: Credit should be given for all roles supporting FAIR data, including data analysis, annotation, management and curation, as well as for participation in the definition of interoperability frameworks, whether contributing to existing resources or developing new. Action 6.3: Evidence of past practice in support of FAIR data should be included in assessments of research contribution. Such evidence should be required in grant proposals (for both research and infrastructure investments), among hiring criteria, for career advancement and other areas where evaluation of research contribution has a legitimate role to play. This should include assessment of graduate students. Action 6.4: Contributions to the development and operation of certified and trusted infrastructures that support FAIR data should be recognised, rewarded and appropriately incentivised in a sustainable way.