CERIF-CRIS Overview Keith G Jeffery

Structure The Vision The CERIF Model CERIF and other Systems The CERIF Model in use

euroCRIS Vision To provide the portal of choice for research information

What this means Any valid user should be able from any location, and via any device, to access research information anywhere in Europe (and wider) whatever the structure and content of the source To form the ERA (European Research Area) – With free movement of research information to match the free movement of goods and services, people, capital – And hence the ‘knowledge economy’ and now the ‘innovation union’

Justification In 1997 EC brought together a group of national experts to develop a mechanism for data exchange and access to CRIS (Current Research Information Systems) – Following earlier multinational pilots Experts recommended CERIF2000 EU Recommendation to Member States 2002 EC requested euroCRIS to maintain, develop and promote CERIF

CERIF-CRIS CERIF: Common European Research Information Format: a datamodel for: – Interoperation – Data storage in a CRIS CRIS: Current Research Information System – An information management system for research The Vision is Portal access to interoperating CERIF-CRIS

Working Together VIVO (Cornell University)

Structure The Vision The CERIF Model CERIF and other Systems The CERIF Model in use

The Users Research and Development Information – For the political decision-makers – For the funding organisations – For the entrepreneurs – For the researchers – For the research managers – For the innovators – For the media – For the general public

Project Person / CV Institution Event Equipment Books Journal/article Patent Research Group Publisher Information of Interest

PROJECTORGUNIT SkillsCV General Facility Particular Equipment Contact Results Publication Results Patent Results Product Service Funding Programme Event Classification Prize/Award PERSON The CERIF Model

RESULT_PUBLICATION PROJECT ORGUNIT PERSON Result_Publication Can Express: Person A (DT1 - DT2) (is author of) Publication X Orgunit O(DT1 - DT2) (is owner of IPR in) Publication X Person A (DT1 - DT2) (is employee of ) Orgunit O Person A (DT1 - DT2) (is project leader of)Project P Person A (DT1-DT2) (is member of) Orgunit M Person A (DT1-DT2) (is member of) Orgunit N Orgunit M (DT1-DT2) (is part of) Orgunit O Orgunit N (DT1-DT2) (is part of) Orgunit O CERIF Expressiveness

Result_Publication Instance Diagram Person A Publication X OrgUnit O OrgUnit M OrgUnit N Project P member employee Part of owns IPR author Project leader

Structure The Vision The CERIF Model CERIF and other Systems The CERIF Model in use

CERIF-CRIS related to other systems CERIF-CRIS as the centre of the organisation – Provides interlinking and interoperation WITHIN one organisation – Repositories (bibliographic, datasets) – Organisational administrative systems (Finance, HR…) – Web pages presentation (generate from CERIF- CRIS) CVs, bibliographies, project overviews…. – Directories and support of workflow

CERIF-CRIS in context Publication repository Dataset Software repository Finance system Human Resources system Project Management system CERIF-CRIS Web pages Directory Services

Integration of Repositories To view content in repositories through contextualised, structured metadata – E.g. Relate publication to: Persons Organisations Projects Funding Facilities Equipment Event Patent Product Repository metadata DC (Dublin Core) insufficient

Recommended Architecture CERIF-CRIS Repository Data for researchers, research managers, evaluators, innovators Rich contextual Metadata linking to full text or multimedia in a repository

CERIF-CRIS and DC DC developed as metadata to access internet content (full text or multimedia) DC does not contain elements needed for many research management tasks DC improved with qualified DC (namespaces) and RDF version (structured assertions) but remains incomplete

CERIF-CRIS and DC OpenAIRE system developed to manage evaluation of output from EC funded projects added (some of) CERIF to the original data model Does not make use of the full potential of CERIF

CERIF is more expressive than other models First order logic – E.g. – Can assert or deduce or induce Formal Syntax – Structure flexible and defined ensures structural integrity and computing efficiency Declared Semantics in separate layer – Class schemes: Ensures semantic integrity Terms defined in relation to each other – Multiple semantic schemes over same syntax possible Allows for e.g. Classification crosswalks

CERIF interoperates If have ‘n’ systems that wish to interoperate – If each interoperates with each other have n*(n-1) convertor systems or wrappers – If all use CERIF have only n convertor systems or wrappers From CERIF can generate many other (meta)data standards in research information – DC, MARC, MODS, eGMS, CKAN….

CRIS + Repositories at 1 institution CRIS Research Context [projects, persons, organisational units funding, products, patents, publications facilities, equipment, events] OA Repository (hypermedia) Documents e-Research repository Datasets and Software OAI- PMH Various protocols End-User CERIF

….and multiple institutions CRIS OA repository e-Research repository CRIS OA repository e-Research repository CRIS OA repository e-Research repository End-User Institution AInstitution BInstitution C

Structure The Vision The CERIF Model CERIF and other Systems The CERIF Model in use

Rationale Increasingly – Universities need to manage their research – Funders need to justify expenditure on research by outputs, outcomes and impact And there is a need for comparison – Nationally – Internationally  so need to use the same model for exchange and access

CERIF-CRIS Uses Management information / decision support – Improved investment – Improved career management – Improved management of IP Evaluation – Automated generation of indicators Covering funding, output, environment, impact – Comparison of performance –  funding decisions A CERIF-CRIS improves management and reduces effort in reporting

CERIF-CRIS Uses Researcher CVs Bibliographies Web pages (semantic web) Improved scholarly publications Improved research proposals Finding collaborators Finding reviewers Current awareness of relevant research activity Finding appropriate funding opportunities Innovation (knowledge and technology transfer) A CERIF-CRIS improves quality and reduces effort in daily work

CERIF in Use National systems: IS, NO, DK, NL, SK, SL, BE, RU (SE) In use in funding organisations and universities or research institutions in many more countries: DE, FR, IT, FI, IE, GR, CZ In UK ~40 universities using it or working on it – HEFCE, UUK, RCUK, ARMA, other funders agreed (2010) CERIF is UK standard for research information – Used for REF and for RC evaluation of research output ERC, ESF specified CERIF for their (being developed) systems CORDIS planning for CERIF

Flexible Architecture Central CERIF-CRIS with direct input: NO Central CERIF-CRIS with CERIF-XML input from universities: BE Individual university and funding council CRIS (some CERIF, some wrapped) with interoperation using CERIF-XML: UK  now need to interoperate internationally

CERIF-CRIS at One Organisation Publication repository Dataset Software repository Finance system Human Resources system Project Management system CERIF-CRIS Web pages Directory Services This is fine for one organisation but research is international, so…

CERIF Interoperation CERIF-CRIS CERIF provides interoperation of CRIS and associated systems with formal syntax and declared semantics so that it is reliable and scalable. Interconnect Backplane

Research Environment Architecture CERIF INTEROPERATION BACKPLANE Web 2.0 / Social Networking Environment Direct user communication Indirect user communication Heterogeneous information sources presentation CERIF- CRIS CERIF- WRAPPED CRIS

Ongoing Activities - UK Research assessment Improved management of research resources JISC funded and coordinated Establishing a national infrastructure linking funders, universities and research institutions Many projects – CERIFy, CRISPool, BRUCE, IRIOS, MICE, RMAS, IRIOS2, C4D, CERIF-in-Action All have euroCRIS as participants

Projects - Europe ENGAGE – Access to integrated open government data using CERIF as metadata OpenAIRE+ – Improving utilisation of repositories for assessment of research in EC Framework programme using CERIF ESF – Extending CERIF for research infrastructures VOA3R: – Extending CERIF with linked open data for agricultural information