Guidelines seek to streamline information systems

ScienceEurope has a released a set of guiding principles to improve the compatibility of computer systems that hold information about research activity.

The group, which represents most national funding bodies, has issued a ‘Position Statement on Research Information Systems’ which sets out to achieve compatibility between different research information systems, by providing a set of common principles to guide their development.

Research information systems are used to store information about research activities, including data on researchers, institutions, budgets, funding applications, reviews, and scientific publications. Their purpose is to help organisations and funders evaluate research output, allocate funding, and track researchers’ careers.