Guidelines for GO FAIR involvement on a national level
The following guidelines describe the actions expected to have been implemented by interested prospective national offices before joining the GO FAIR Initiative and establishing a GO FAIR National Support Office (NSO):
- The prospective national office is expected to acknowledge and support the principles that form the basis for the GO FAIR initiative of independent, yet coordinating implementation networks:
- GO FAIR is a community-led and self-governed initiative.
- GO FAIR is in its realisation a bottom-up initiative.
- An open and inclusive ecosystem of GO FAIR implementation networks will evolve, as the number of scientific institutions committing to the principles of GO FAIR increases.
- There is no predetermined requirement for the NSO composition and size or location when it comes to a hosting institution. The NSO should preserve independence from for-profit organisations, while being fully dedicated to the IN community support. NSO supports and coordinates the national INs, but also contributes to the joint, distributed function of the International Support and Coordination Office (ISCO). It is expected that there is one NSO in a country. Should the size or geographic spread of the local community call for a distributed NSO, the NSO shall establish an adequate organisation structure. Every national office should seek a seal of approval from a relevant national public authority to act as an official representation of GO FAIR. While the process to obtain the seal of approval is underway, the organisation interested to host the NSO may start its operations, if so agreed by the GO FAIR Executive Board. The NSO should appoint a director (or main coordinator), through the modality they see fit. Directors are individually responsible for the tasks carried by their office, and collectively form the Board of Directors (BoD). Each NSO is responsible for the expense of its team and director.
- In order to ensure a smooth and swift involvement of the interested communities in the respective prospective NSO, the following steps should be taken on the national level:
- Reaching an overview of which research communities and e-infrastructures in the respective country would want to participate in the GO FAIR Initiative.
- Encouraging the community in getting organised, in preparing them for connection to the GO FAIR Initiative. This means to engage all relevant parties such as research communities, e-infrastructures, Research Funding Organizations (RFOs), Research Performing Organizations (RPOs) and the ministerial level as a facilitator. This will facilitate coordinating the interactions with the GO FAIR Initiative.
- Encouraging and stimulating this group of interested parties in the respective prospective national office to discuss and explore how the different communities could grow into a “GO FAIR implementation network” (i.e. practically implementing one part of the Internet of FAIR data and services, for example setting standards, developing templates, FAIRifying data for one scientific domain).
- Appointing a contact person for interaction with the ISCO that provides information on the previously described process to the ISCO. Ideally, the contact person will team up with a national support office in the medium term.
- A prospective national office that has the intention to implement these guidelines are invited to contact the ISCO, which can support them in the process to join. In due time, prospective national office that has taken the steps set out above can send to the ISCO a letter (or declaration) expressing their intent to join the GO FAIR Initiative and providing the information required to assess the implementation of the guidelines.
On this basis, the Executive Board of the GO FAIR Initiative will decide if the prospective national office can join and is offered to nominate members to the GO FAIR Executive Board.