The Research Data Alliance (RDA) contributes to shaping global science policy through its community-driven approach, uniting 15,500+ members across diverse disciplines and regions to facilitate consensus and transform fragmented efforts into coordinated action.
Since 2013, the RDA community has produced over 150 recommendations and outputs that serve as technical and social infrastructure solutions for data sharing, exchange, and interoperability. These outputs have become foundational elements of science policy at institutional, national, and international levels, providing funders and policymakers with evidence-based frameworks for implementing Open Science initiatives.
To further demonstrate the value of RDA for science policy, the RDA has developed a series of white papers based on workshops in May 2025. The workshops focused on three key policy areas:
- National Persistent Identifier (PID) Strategies
- Journal Research Data Policy Frameworks
- Research Evaluation
The Value of the RDA for Policy White Papers
National Persistent Identifier (PID) Strategies
National PID strategies are coordinated approaches that countries develop to systematically implement and manage PIDs across their research ecosystems. Featuring real-world adoption stories from France, Ireland, Czech Republic, and the USA, this white paper highlights how coordinated national PID strategies improve research efficiency, and how the RDA’s PID Strategies Guide and Checklist provides a flexible, globally aligned framework for policy action.
Journal Research Data Policy Frameworks
Journal research data policy frameworks provide a standardised approach to help journals and publishers create or enhance their own research data policy. This paper outlines RDA’s Journal Research Data Policy Framework, which simplifies data policy implementation for publishers, ensures alignment with funder requirements, and improves transparency. Adoption use cases from the STM Association and national initiatives are highlighted to show the framework’s effectiveness in scaling FAIR data sharing practices.
Research Evaluation Reform
The evolution of research evaluation from being mostly bibliometric based is a key enabler of robust, equitable, inclusive and diverse open research practices. This paper emphasises the need to reward diverse research contributions, such as datasets, software, and Open Science practices. It includes case studies like CoARA’s national implementation in France, the SHARC Interest Group’s policy influence, and the Netherlands’ €1.2M Open Science career evaluation initiative.
These white papers demonstrate the RDA’s ongoing role as a neutral, international platform for policy transformation. They provide funders, policymakers, and research communities with community-endorsed strategies and evidence-based frameworks that support informed decision-making, infrastructure investment, and global alignment of best practices.
Download the Full Report
Read the comprehensive white paper examining the value of the Research Data Alliance for policy development and implementation on the aforementioned three policy areas.
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