DASS-BiH is continuously improving its services and strengthening its capacities to better respond to the needs and requests of our designated community of social science researchers. One of them is development of the first data archive in social sciences in BiH (DASS-BiH), which is expected to serve as an important resource for researchers in the country to produce new policy relevant evidence more effectively and efficiently. In the process of strengthening the DASS-BiH, we are currently working on the CoreTrustSeal certification of our data archive. The applicability of procedures implemented in DASS-BiH to its users is the main requirement in obtaining the CoreTrustSeal (CTS) certification.
The process of achievement of CoreTrustSeal certification of DASS-BiH is supported by FAIRsFAIR. FAIRsFAIR is playing a key role in the contribution to policies and practices for broader adoption of FAIR practices, and in the development of standards for FAIR certification of repositories. Through an Open Call run between July and August 2019, DASS-BiH was chosen by FAIRsFAIR to be supported on the path towards achieving the CoreTrustSeal certification. The submissions were assessed based on the repository’s designated community, its focus on long-term preservation and reuse, and on the feasibility of its being able to CoreTrustSeal certification within the time frame available. A diverse geographical and disciplinary spread among the selected repositories was of importance as well.
FAIRsFAIR provides support and capacity building including materials, training, and advice to repository managers and other stakeholders so they can improve their knowledge of the preparation required for CoreTrustSeal self-assessments. At the same time, the repositories share with the FAIRsFAIR project their valuable experiences on how repository practices enable the curation of FAIR data. The FAIRsFAIR actively engages with DASS-BiH and the other selected repositories . Together we collaborate on the journey to Trust and FAIR.
Since February 2020, DASS-BiH employees put efforts to align the DASS-BiH services to CTS and FAIR principles trough several implemented activities. We attended a first dedicated workshop in The Hague in February 2020 (you can read more about it here). In addition to the workshop, we drafted CTS self-assessment and submitted it to the FAIRsFAIR team for comments and suggestions. We equipped the safe room for the access to datasets in the restricted access category. The activities in the previous period also included establishment and coordination of DASS-BiH Network of Research Institutions and the major universities in BiH already joined the Network. In cooperation with the Network members, DASS-BiH will continue to play important role in expanding and advancing social science research in BiH.
Finally, we provided inputs in drafting Policy for Open Access to Research Infrastructure (OAP) developed for CREDI, which is DASS-BiH managing institution. The development of OAP is part of the RCC initiative Network for Open Access Research Infrastructure in the Western Balkans aimed to drive Open Science agenda for the WB region. The OAP covers services provided by DASS-BiH and will serve in promotion and communication of openness of CREDI’s research infrastructure.