This post is also available in: Deutsch

Research is becoming increasingly data-intensive, and the variety and quantity of data collected offers seemingly endless opportunities. Many funding institutions demand that data be published and thus made available to other researchers, with the aim of advancing research, saving costs, and creating transparency.

But what about legal issues? Can data simply be reused unconditionally? Who actually owns research data? Is it possible to withhold certain data despite the fact that funding institutions ask researchers to publish it? These and many other questions arise within the context of Open Data, and the uncertainties are often great.

In practice, it has been shown time and again that some data is difficult or impossible to access despite the respective requirements of funding institutions. In the National Research Programme 75 on “Big Data”, there is now a new cross-sectional activity on the topic of “Big Data: Open Data and Legal Strings“, which is to get to the bottom of this problem under the leadership of Prof. Sabine Gess (University of Basel). The aim is to clarify central questions of access to data collected through publicly funded research in Switzerland, and to find approaches to solving the issues.

In this context, a workshop will be held for interested researchers on 18 February at the University of Basel. Further information and registration: christine.moehrke-sobolewski[at]unibas.ch