An important meeting of all eleven partners involved in the National Repository Platform for Research Data (NRP) project, part of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) initiative in the Czech Republic, occurred in Prague on 25 and 26 June 2024. The main objective of the meeting was to present the progress made so far and share key information and plans for the next period, but also to get to know each other better among colleagues who often meet only in an online environment.
The program kicked off on Tuesday, 25 June, with a meeting of the teams of each of the key activities of the NRP project and continued with an informal dinner meeting where members of the implementation team had the opportunity to discuss and get to know each other better. This was particularly important as there are over 100 members involved in the project across the Czech Republic. The official program started on 26 June with the morning registration of participants and continued throughout the day until 16:00. Luděk Matyska took the opening ceremony and presented basic information about the project, what it will bring, and its link to the whole EOSC CZ initiative. This was followed by presentations of the project's key activities, where representatives of specific teams presented in detail the objectives and plans of their activities.
Ondřej Prančl, Project Manager of the NRP project, stressed the importance of the meeting: “This project has the potential to fundamentally transform research data management in the Czech Republic and provide the scientific community with tools and infrastructure in line with FAIR principles."
Organizational topics were also an important part of the NRP implementation team's program. The standard background of the EOSC CZ initiative was presented, with the team from the EOSC CZ Secretariat presenting the internal document environment of the project, as well as the visual style and web presentation of the initiative and the use of a unified visual style of the initiative across projects. Subsequently, the EOSC CZ initiative monitoring was presented to the participants, together with a first preview of the EOSC CZ initiative in numbers. In addition, space was dedicated to administrative and procedural issues of the project, presented by Ondřej Prančl.
The afternoon part of the program was devoted to the NRP service roadmap and the topic of the direct connection of various laboratory instruments to future repositories built within the NRP. The meeting was concluded with a presentation by Michal Lorenz about one of the pilot repositories of the NRP project, HUMELab, which aims to test the upcoming national solutions in actual operation.
The National Repository Platform for Research Data (NRP) project aims to support the EOSC initiative in the Czech Republic. The NRP forms a key part of the National Data Infrastructure (NDI). The project aims to consolidate the fragmented research data environment, provide scientists with tools and facilities for data management according to FAIR principles, and provide reliable storage and repositories. The project also includes developing and implementing data management planning solutions, technical and methodological support, and coordinated educational support, which will contribute to improving the quality of research data management and increasing the competitiveness of Czech science at the international level.
Are you interested in the latest trends in data management and storage? The EOSC CZ initiative conference is a unique opportunity for scientists, researchers, and academic staff to gain an up-to-date overview of the possibilities for supporting and utilizing the national data infrastructure for research activities. Expand your knowledge and discover new opportunities!
The 9th annual ELIXIR CZ conference took place from 9 to 11 October 2024, focusing on data management as a key element of modern research. The program focused on data management in EU projects, tools for efficient data handling and national data infrastructure. More than 20 experts presented challenges, innovations and best practices to offer practical solutions and foster collaboration in the scientific community.
