FAIR-IMPACT Open calls for support

Supporting you on your FAIR-enabling journey

The availability of data that are findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) lies at the heart of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) vision. FAIR is not a binary concept and cannot be achieved by any single action or actor. Instead, FAIR is a shared journey involving several stakeholders over the entire research lifecycle.

Researchers play a key role in making their outputs FAIR. The organisations who employ them, the funding bodies that financially support and influence the way they work, the research support staff who assist them, and the range of infrastructures used to create, share and curate their outputs also play critical roles. To help foster a FAIR ecosystem, FAIR-IMPACT supported three key stakeholder groups - research performing organisations, repositories and data services providers, and national level initiatives - to begin or progress their FAIR-enabling journeys. Through our series of open calls, FAIR-IMPACT raised awareness and supported the uptake of existing and emerging tools, solutions and approaches that have been developed through recently completed and ongoing European Commission INFRAEOSC projects and international initiatives such as the Research Data Alliance.

FAIR-IMPACT provided three support routes to help you become more FAIR-enabling. 

Expert (non financial) support: support programmes providing guidance and one-to-one support (Route 1)

Successful applicants to our support programmes worked with FAIR-IMPACT mentors and, in some cases, external experts to learn how to support the uptake of FAIR-enabling practices. This included participation in a series of virtual workshops based on the FAIR Implementation Framework, assessed homework, and one-to-one support. These calls were suitable for those who were just getting started with supporting the FAIR Principles or are less advanced on their FAIR-enabling journey. Financial support was not provided but successful applicants benefitted from in kind support from FAIR-IMPACT mentors, Two open calls for participation in these support programmes were launched over the life of the FAIR-IMPACT project. 

Over the life of the project we worked with 77 succesful teams from 72 organisations across 27 countires. The participating teams represented Research Perfroming Organisations (RPOs), repositories and data service providers, and national level initiatives. The support programmes included up to ten virtual workshops and one-to-one support to help participants to self-assess their current FAIR-enabling practices and to develop FAIR implementation action plans by following the steps of the FAIR Implementation Framework.

What we provided: 

• Practical advice and guidance on key FAIR-enabling topics. The support programmes for each stakeholder group varied, but the thematic areas covered included policies, persistent identifiers, data management planning, trustworthy repositories, provision of support and training, and handling other research outputs including software.
• One-to-one support to undertake a supported self-assessment of current FAIR-enabling practices; develop a FAIR implementation action plan and devise an engagement strategy.
• A key aim of the support programme is to foster knowledge exchange between peers, and there will be dedicated workshops to facilitate this.
• The opportunity to promote their work via a published FAIR Implementation Story. 

Financial support via cascading grants to enable testing of specific tools, approaches and methods (Route 2)

This route provided financial support actions where guidance and assistance were provided to successful applicants on implementing one or more tools and approaches. Successful applicants received financial support to enable their participation in a series of virtual, hands-on workshops. This support was suitable to those who were more advanced on their FAIR-enabling journey and ready to test specific tools and approaches. Three financial support open calls were launched for participation in the defined support actions over the life of the FAIR-IMPACT project. 

By the end of the project, 500,000 euros was distributed to 128 successful teams from 90 organistions across 29 countries.

What we provided: 

• A support package including virtual workshops, expert guidance and advice from FAIR-IMPACT project partners and resource providers to enable participants to implement the particular tool or approach. 
• Financial support to enable participation, payable by invoice upon successful completion of the support action. The exact amount of financial support provided varied across the support actions as it was based on the number of days required to participate. In most cases, participation in support actions required between 5-10 days of effort from participants spread over a 1-2 month period. Funds were used solely for supporting staff time to carry out relevant support action activities (participating in the virtual webinars, carrying out homework, completing exit questionnaire and/or interview, etc.).
• The opportunity to share their knowledge and learn from their peers through the virtual workshops.
• The opportunity to promote their work via a published FAIR-IMPACT Implementation Story.

Route 3: via our series of open FAIR Implementation Workshops 

Our FAIR Implementation Workshop series aimed to help three key stakeholders - Research performing Organisations, Repositories & Data Service Providers, and National Level Initiatives - to become familiar with FAIR-enabling tools, approaches, and methods.

By the end of the project, more than 30 workshops and webinars were delivered to 2,700+ registrants from Europe and beyond. These events were free and open to all and shared information about the open calls, implementing tools, approaches and solutions and sharing examples of good practice more broadly.

What we provided:

• Each workshop provided an overview of a specific FAIR-enabling activity, share information on recent developments both from within FAIR-IMPACT and other initiatives as well as offer examples of good practice, practical tips, and recommendations.
• Each workshop lasted a maximum of 90 minutes and included plenty of time for questions and discussion.
• Slides and recordings for workshops and webinars are available from the event pages.

For questions relating to the open calls, please read our FAQs

For any other questions please contact opencalls[at]fair-impact.eu.