Better coordination needed in open data policies

There is considerable inconsistency in open research data policies between funding bodies, charities and universities in the UK, despite recent efforts to bring them in line, a report has found.

The Open Data Task Force, made up of representatives of all the main UK research organisations and chaired by Pam Thomas, pro vice-chancellor for research at the University of Warwick, has published a report into the infrastructure that supports open research data.

In 2016 the HIgher Education Funding Council for England, Research Councils UK, Universities UK and the Wellcome Trust set out a series of principles for working with research data in the Open Research Data Concordat. They outlined the steps needed for the development of a consistent set of research data policies and strategies for the UK.