DRI Launches Pilot Scheme to Preserve Legacy Research Collections

The Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) is expanding its support for the sustainability of Irish research outputs through a free deposit scheme and specialised training in data management for a limited number of applicants to a Legacy Research Collection Deposit pilot scheme. Researchers or research groups are eligible to apply for a single deposit allocation in the Repository (one dataset: project or collection), for which they will receive tailored advice and support to improve the accessibility and long-term preservability of their work. 

DRI is pleased to be collaborating with the Irish Data Stewardship Network (Sonraí) to ensure all curated legacy datasets align with best practices in research data management. Participants will receive training in data curation and one-on-one tailored guidance throughout the deposit process to ensure their collections are safely and easily stored in the Repository for long-term preservation. Upon completion of the pilot, participants will be invited to join an emerging network of Sonraí Data Champions, building capacity for Ireland’s transition to a FAIR and open research data landscape.

Applications open 12 February. The original deadline was 15 March 2024, but it has been extended until 29 March 2024. Successful applicants will be notified in April 2024.

How to apply

Download the application form and email pilot-applications@dri.ie.

Questions?

Join us on 22 February at 11:00 UTC for an informational session on the pilot programme. Register for the event here: https://dri.ie/events/dri-pilot-info-session/. 

If you missed the information session, you can find answers to researchers' questions about the Scheme collated in this helpful blog post by Research Data Project Manager Beth Knazook.

About the Pilot

Do you have an academic research project website that you are concerned about keeping accessible? Do you have research notes and spreadsheets that you have been thinking about sharing, but aren’t sure how best to do that? Do you have a collection of research images that informed a publication, which are still sitting on a hard drive or local cloud storage? Consider depositing these legacy research outputs with the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) as part of our 2024 Data Preservation for Legacy Research Collections Pilot! 

Background

The Digital Repository of Ireland is Ireland’s national preservation repository for Social Sciences, Humanities and Cultural Heritage data, and we have nearly 60 member organisations who have chosen to preserve their materials in the Repository. The deposit of these materials is coordinated by a network of Organisational Managers who oversee the process of depositing. In our current model, individual researchers at Higher Education Institutions cannot approach DRI directly but must go through the appropriate contacts at their organisation to deposit through the membership scheme. This pilot is designed to help DRI test a more open model for researcher deposit and develop appropriate support materials for DRI members working directly with researchers in their organisations.

Successful applicants will be allocated space to deposit their collection in the Repository, ensuring long-term preservation of their research data in perpetuity, while also receiving training and guidance in using the Repository features and preparing their data for sharing. For more information on the award, see https://dri.ie/news/dri-launches-pilot-scheme-to-preserve-legacy-research-collections/.