1. CRIS seminar, Brussels 18-19 September 2003
CERIF
CRIS seminar, Brussels September 2003
Anne Asserson, University of Bergen

2. What is CERIF? Common European Research Information Format
A mechanism for sharing R&D information in Europe
An EC Recommendation to EU Member States
euroCRIS custodian since 2000

3. Structure
CERIF 91
CERIF 2000
CERIF in a nutshell
Conclusion

4. CERIF91 1988 working group formed under EC
After recommendation of Rectors of European Universities Conference
Need for exchange of data on R&D
Note : similar ideas at that time
UN/UNESCO/CODATA
OECD

5. CERIF91 Exchange of data on R&D in Europe Simple record format
Project was an entity with Persons, organisations, and other information represented as attributes
Research classifications scheme recommended 1991 , not updated since 1988
This is a background template.
Just the top and bottom bars are in the template, and there are two text boxes - one for a title, and one for the points.
The picture and the two picture ”bars” are NOT part of the template. They are removeable, and re-sizeable.
To see the template layout: (sorry, this is in English)
Go to the ”format” menu.
Select ”slide layout”
Click on the choice showing one title box and one points box.
Click on Re-apply.
Type in the text you wish to the boxes.

6. CERIF91 Title (of Project),
Abstract (bilinguality of title and abstract will be recommended),
Address (including name of the research unit, department, institute),
Project director (definition: name of the 'holder` of the contract),
Name(s) of the principal investigator(s),
Starting date and expected ending date,
Identification items:
free key words,
controlled terms (Research Thesaurus: optionally) (Recommended Research Thesaurus (list of controlled terms): Annex II.)
codes of a classification scheme (Recommended Research Classification Scheme: Annex I. - Research Classification Scheme: recommended),
Funding directly related to the project:
funding source,
budget yearly, optionally: breakdown into personnel, functioning, equipment,
Personnel: number of full-time equivalent (FTE) researchers.

7. CERIF91 Not unlike modern Dublin Core Suffered from same problem
see
Or under
Suffered from same problem
Machine readable
NOT machine understandable
Basically, insufficiently formal for logic to be applied

8. CERIF91 Problem that CRISs had a single-entry focus
Projects (national research councils)
Persons (BEST uk, COS us, ….)
Organisations (LABO fr, …..)
Simple Record Format
Project was an Entity with Persons, Organisations and other infomation represented as attributes
Problems with repeating groups and relationships
Research Classification Scheme recommended 1991 not updated since 1988

9. Structure
CERIF 91
CERIF 2000
CERIF in a nutshell
Conclusion

10. CERIF2000 The requirements were collected systematically
Representative of each country nominated by the appropriate ministry / organisation in that country
Additionally some experts who did not represent their country but were there to assist in the technological solution
Actually, some members of this Working Group fulfilled both roles !

11. CERIF2000 cover projects , persons, organisations
entities, not more attributes
lengths & types & language, character set
repeating groups (logical)
need flexibility - relationships (conceptual)
need better data quality
need for consistent coding (semantic)
consistently implementable (no supporting systems for CERIF91 existing)
extensible for new requirements

12. CERIF 2000 Working Group set up 1997 and coordinated by DGXIII-D4, EC
CERIF2000 Guidelines, Final Report of the CERIF Revision Working Group, 1999
Common format for development of new CRISs
exchange of data from records in existing and future multiple different CRISs
implies the need for common format for metadata describing records in existing and future multiple different CRIS

13. CERIF2000
CRIS can be implemented using subset or superset of full CERIF model:
for projects (management)
for people (expertise)
for organisations (capabilities)
for publications, patents , products (results)
for services (offerings)
for facilities, particular equipment (offerings)
with role-based relationships

14. CERIF2000 Neutral Architecture Data Model can be implemented:
relational
object-oriented
information retrieval (including WWW)
Process model can be implemented
DBMS and query; centralised or distributed;
html web / harvesting / IR-query;
advanced knowledge-based technology

15. CERIF2000 An organisation just starting to build a CRIS
An organisation with one or more legacy CRISs and wishing to evolve to a new single one
Are in the market for an ‘ideal’ CRIS
CERIF provides a template

16. Funding Programme PROJECT ORGUNIT PERSON Contact Event Prize/Award
Results
Publication
Results
Patent
Skills
General
Facility
Results
Product CV
Particular
Equipment
Event
Service
Prize/Award
Classification

17. CERIF2000 Extended relational model
Linking relations with attributes (roles and time stamp)
3 base entities Person, Organisation, Project
12 secondary base entities (linked to base entities)
36 Look up tables (to ensure data quality)
39 Link tables (flexibility)
all text fields have multiple language fields
maximum representativity with minimum complexity

18. CERIF2000
ICERIS (IS) Access to Information on Icelandic Research Projects & R&D Results
AURIS-MM (AT) Provides access to Austrian University Research extended with multimedia
SICRIS (SL) Access to University Research in Slovenia
HUNCRIS Access to R&D in Hungary
SRIS (GB) Scottish Research Information Systems, public research in Scotland
CRIS-MER (EC) Research information on Migration and ethnic Relations (planned)
Corporate model, CCLRC (UK)
METIS (NL) previously OZIS, currently used by majority of Dutch Universities
Fdok (NO) University of Bergen, results

19. CERIF2000
Metadata Model is a subset of Exchange Model is a subset of Full Model
Full Model is intersection of existing CRISs excluding uncommon variants

20. Structure
CERIF 91
CERIF 2000
CERIF in a nutshell
Conclusion

21. Funding Programme PROJECT ORGUNIT PERSON Contact Event Prize/Award
Results
Publication
Results
Patent
Skills
General
Facility
Results
Product CV
Particular
Equipment
Event
Service
Prize/Award
Classification

22. Three Primary Entities
PROJECT
ORGUNIT
PERSON
Concepts:
(1) entities that reflect main ‘views of entry’ into CRISs
(2) entities with no direct functional dependency on each other
(3) entities that can refer to themselves (recursion)
(4) entities linked in pairs by ‘linking relations’
(5) ‘linking relations’ represent temporally-bound roles
(6) ‘linking relations’ have primary key of each entity, role,
date/time start, date/time end and any other constraints
PERSON - related entities green
ORGUNIT: related entities yellow
PROJECT and ORGUNIT: related entities orange
PROJECT, ORGUNIT & PERSON: related entities purple

23. As an Example: PERSON-ORGUNIT Concepts:
Linking Relations
PROJECT
ORGUNIT
PERSON
Person-Orgunit
As an Example: PERSON-ORGUNIT
Concepts:
(1) May have many instances of the relationship for each instance
of PERSON and ORGUNIT due to role and temporal bounding
(2) Role: the purpose of the relationship e.g. employee | head | ….
(3) Temporal: the use of <Start Date/Time> and <End Date/Time>
defines the duration of this relationship
Analagous for PROJECT_ORGUNIT and PERSON_PROJECT
PERSON - related entities green
ORGUNIT: related entities yellow
PROJECT and ORGUNIT: related entities orange
PROJECT, ORGUNIT & PERSON: related entities purple

24. Primary Base Entity: ORGUNIT
PROJECT
ORGUNIT
PERSON
Orgunit-Orgunit
Concepts:
(1) ORGUNIT may have an organisationally subordinate relationship
to another ORGUNIT e.g. a Group within a Department
(2) ORGUNIT may have a symbiotic relationship to another
ORGUNIT e.g. two Groups that have a cooperation agreement
(3) ORGUNIT may have a financial relationship to another
ORGUNIT e.g. customer - contractor
PERSON - related entities green
ORGUNIT: related entities yellow
PROJECT and ORGUNIT: related entities orange
PROJECT, ORGUNIT & PERSON: related entities purple

25. Primary Base Entity: PROJECT
ORGUNIT
PERSON
Concepts:
(1) PROJECT may have an organisationally subordinate relationship
to another PROJECT e.g. a sub-Project
(2) PROJECT may have a symbiotic relationship to another
PROJECT e.g. two Projects that cooperate by agreement
(3) PROJECT may have a temporal relationship to another
PROJECT e.g. one project follows on from another
PERSON - related entities green
ORGUNIT: related entities yellow
PROJECT and ORGUNIT: related entities orange
PROJECT, ORGUNIT & PERSON: related entities purple

26. Primary Base Entity: PERSON
PROJECT
ORGUNIT
PERSON
Concepts:
(1) PERSON may have a socially subordinate relationship
to another PERSON e.g. a child of a parent
(2) PERSON may have a symbiotic relationship to another
PERSON e.g. two researchers that cooperate by agreement
(3) PERSON may have a temporal relationship to PERSON
e.g. a lecturer (dates) becomes a reader (dates)
PERSON - related entities green
ORGUNIT: related entities yellow
PROJECT and ORGUNIT: related entities orange
PROJECT, ORGUNIT & PERSON: related entities purple

27. Secondary Base Entities: Funding Programme
PROJECT
ORGUNIT
PERSON
Concepts:
(1) Funding Programme is related to
(a) ORGUNIT and / or (b) PROJECT
(2) A Person is only funded via
(3) any other entities are only funded via
PERSON - related entities green
ORGUNIT: related entities yellow
PROJECT and ORGUNIT: related entities orange
PROJECT, ORGUNIT & PERSON: related entities purple

28. Secondary Base Entities: example: CONTACT
PROJECT
ORGUNIT
PERSON
Contact
Concepts:
(1) all contacts in one place - no replication, no update problems
(2) >1 contact dependent on role e.g. private address|work address
(3) the PROJECT contact is usually the project leader: a PERSON
(4) the ORGUNIT contact is usually the head: a PERSON
(5) but may have a generic address
e.g. project URI | Orgunit
Analagous for Publication, Product, Patent, Event, Prize/Award....
PERSON - related entities green
ORGUNIT: related entities yellow
PROJECT and ORGUNIT: related entities orange
PROJECT, ORGUNIT & PERSON: related entities purple

29. Secondary Base Entities: example: RESULT_PUBLICATION
PROJECT
ORGUNIT
PERSON
Result_Publication
Concepts:
(1) temporally-bound role linking relations
(2) >1 linking relation : Result_Publication and other entities
(3) PERSON role may be author, co-author, editor, reviewer….
(4) ORGUNIT role may be publisher, IPR or copyright owner..
(5) PROJECT role may be the source of the idea
PERSON - related entities green
ORGUNIT: related entities yellow
PROJECT and ORGUNIT: related entities orange
PROJECT, ORGUNIT & PERSON: related entities purple

30. Secondary Base Entities: example: RESULT_PUBLICATION
PROJECT
ORGUNIT
PERSON
Result_Publication
Can Express: (where DT-date/time)
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
PERSON - related entities green
ORGUNIT: related entities yellow
PROJECT and ORGUNIT: related entities orange
PROJECT, ORGUNIT & PERSON: related entities purple

31. PERSON Links Funding Programme PROJECT ORGUNIT PERSON Contact Event
Results
Publication
Results
Patent
Skills
General
Facility
PERSON - related entities green
ORGUNIT: related entities yellow
PROJECT and ORGUNIT: related entities orange
PROJECT, ORGUNIT & PERSON: related entities purple
Results
Product CV
Particular
Equipment
Event
Service
Prize/Award

32. PROJECT Links Funding Programme PROJECT ORGUNIT PERSON Contact Event
Results
Publication
Results
Patent
Skills
General
Facility
PERSON - related entities green
ORGUNIT: related entities yellow
PROJECT and ORGUNIT: related entities orange
PROJECT, ORGUNIT & PERSON: related entities purple
Results
Product CV
Particular
Equipment
Event
Service
Prize/Award

33. ORGUNIT Links Funding Programme PROJECT ORGUNIT PERSON Contact Event
Results
Publication
Results
Patent
Skills
General
Facility
PERSON - related entities green
ORGUNIT: related entities yellow
PROJECT and ORGUNIT: related entities orange
PROJECT, ORGUNIT & PERSON: related entities purple
Results
Product CV
Particular
Equipment
Event
Service
Prize/Award

34. Classification Funding Programme PROJECT ORGUNIT PERSON Contact Event
Results
Publication
Results
Patent
Skills
General
Facility
PERSON - related entities green
ORGUNIT: related entities yellow
PROJECT and ORGUNIT: related entities orange
PROJECT, ORGUNIT & PERSON: related entities purple
Results
Product CV
Particular
Equipment
Event
Service
Prize/Award
Classification

35. The Whole Thing Funding Programme PROJECT ORGUNIT PERSON Contact Event
Results
Publication
Results
Patent
Skills
General
Facility
PERSON - related entities green
ORGUNIT: related entities yellow
PROJECT and ORGUNIT: related entities orange
PROJECT, ORGUNIT & PERSON: related entities purple
Results
Product CV
Particular
Equipment
Event
Service
Prize/Award
Classification

36. Structure
CERIF 91
CERIF 2000
CERIF in a nutshell
Conclusion

37. Conclusion CERIF is based on a knowledge of:
Previous CRIS systems throughout Europe and wider
The R&D in relevant information technologies
CERIF2000 (and its subsequent developments) is used already in systems
And new ones are starting up all the time

38. Conclusion CERIF as it is today
Has a long evolution
Has been improved with
Experience of use of earlier versions
Improved technology support allowing
More accurate representative data structuring
More expressive data management
CERIF is an EC recommendation to EU Member States
CERIF is managed and maintained by euroCRIS
not-for-profit organisation