The DataCite Global Access Fund (GAF) is a strategic initiative designed to enhance equitable access to research infrastructure by supporting organizations in regions and communities currently underrepresented in the global open science infrastructure landscape. In this blog post series, we will explore the projects of the GAF awardees, sharing insights into the outcomes and future aspirations. Each of the blog posts will focus on how the projects lead to the creation of a more inclusive global research community, sharing what they have achieved so far and outlining their plans for further development and impact. 

Supported by funding from the DataCite Global Access Fund (GAF), the National Science Library of Georgia is undertaking a significant project to develop a research infrastructure – Openscience.ge – an open-access DSpace-based digital repository of Georgian scientific works. The project aims to enhance the collection and dissemination of scientific materials, including journal articles, conference materials, theses, and dissertations, etc, and to create comprehensive researcher profiles. The primary goal of the project is to establish and advance a national repository that will consolidate all scientific outputs produced by Georgian scientists and researchers. The project was launched in January 2024 and will be finished by December of this year.

The objective of developing a national-level scientific repository is being accomplished through progress in three key areas: structural development, repository policy development, and administration model development. A brief overview of each area is provided below. Structural development involves the enhancement and updating of the research infrastructure. This includes upgrading the system from DSpace-CRIS 5.10 to DSpace-CRIS 7.0, refining the repository’s statistical and search functionalities, integrating additional technical features, such as DOI registration through DSpace, and designing a new interface for the repository.

Repository policy development is a central component of the project. It involves researching best practices for repository policies and creating a policy tailored to our specific needs. The policy encompasses several key areas: guidelines for depositing resources, rules for resource usage, protection and management policies, resource retraction protocols, digital object identifiers (DOIs) registration procedures, and more.

To ensure transparency and inclusivity in the policy development process, we engaged with leading universities in Georgia from the outset. We have assembled a group of university representatives who have committed to contributing to the development of the repository policy. Additionally, we approached the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia to collaborate on the policy document. Their agreement to participate has been a significant milestone, as it secures official support for the repository’s future.

The organizations involved in drafting and reviewing the policy document include five universities listed below: Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Ilia State University, Business and Technology University, Free University of Georgia together with the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, and National Science Library.

The policy group has already held four meetings, completed drafts of all policy sections, and is currently in the process of reviewing the document section by section. The group is led by the Head of the National Science Library of Georgia Nino Pavliashvili with the help from international expert Iryna Kuchma, who advises our team on best international policy practices.

The next focus area is the development of the administration model. While we have a preliminary draft, it requires further refinement moving forward. The National Science Library of Georgia will maintain management of the repository, but the system will be made accessible to universities, research institutions, and individual researchers. This openness will allow these stakeholders to upload resources, create researcher profiles, and more. Such a collaborative model is expected to substantially increase the volume of resources deposited in the repository.

A primary task in this area is to effectively communicate with stakeholders to ensure they understand the repository’s functionality and benefits. To achieve this, we plan to develop comprehensive guidelines for the repository, covering various topics such as user registration, material uploading, and publication procedures. This guide will be freely available on the repository’s website to any interested parties.

In addition to the guidelines, the project will organize training sessions for universities and institutions during 2024. These sessions will introduce the repository interface and provide instructions on using the system. At the end of the project, we will conduct three 1.5-day training sessions for 50 attendees from academic organizations to inform representatives from universities and research institutions about the repository policy, teach them how to manage the system, upload publications, enter metadata, and create researcher profiles. Upon project completion, the repository will showcase a redesigned and updated webpage and a comprehensive repository policy. The repository will include 700 newly deposited research materials with registered DOIs, 150 new researcher profiles, and participation from 15 additional universities and research institutions. These improvements are expected to revitalize the repository, significantly increase the volume of deposited materials, and foster greater engagement from relevant organizations. Consequently, this will enhance the visibility of research outputs both locally and internationally, ensure more resources are assigned DOIs, and improve their discoverability within the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).