Open Science, Open Data in Hungary conference organised by HUN-REN ARP Project members

11/27/2023 - 13:01

The conference titled Open Science, Open Data in Hungary – The First Two Years of HUN-REN ARP took place on 16 November 2023, and was hosted by the HUN-REN Institute for Computer Science and Control (HUN-REN SZTAKI). During this event, attendees had the opportunity to explore presentations covering the historical background, current status, and future prospects of the HUN-REN Data Repository Platform (HUN-REN ARP). The development of HUN-REN ARP is a collaborative effort involving experts from HUN-REN SZTAKI, HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics, and HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, with support from the Hungarian Research Network. This innovative digital platform, designed to facilitate the secure, long-term storage, searchability, and sharing of research-generated data, is set to be launched in early 2024.

In his opening address, HUN-REN President Balázs Gulyás emphasised, "It is our duty as researchers to give back our scientific and innovation results to the Hungarian taxpayers who support us, whether it is in the form of outstanding scientific or culturally impactful achievements, a new drug molecule, a better understanding of our society, or the preservation of everything valuable our predecessors have created." He highlighted that, in addition to formulating a new research strategy based on identifying breakthrough points, it is also crucial to develop the research infrastructure that supports these goals, with the HUN-REN Data Repository Platform playing a vital role in this regard.

Next, Dr. Péter Kacsuk, ARP project leader and head of the Parallel and Distributed Systems Research Laboratory at HUN-REN SZTAKI, presented the goals, working groups, and major accomplishments of the HUN-REN ARP Project. Dr. László Kovács, the originator of HUN-REN ARP and the Head of the Distributed Systems Division at HUN-REN SZTAKI, provided insights into specific components of the platform, its services, and the development principles.

During the conference, three roundtable discussions took place. First, the ARP Ambassadors discussed tasks related to research data within the HUN-REN institutions, as well as related issues and opportunities. The second roundtable explored domestic data repository possibilities. In the third one, the relationship between research funding and the management of research data was discussed with experts from the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH), the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and HUN-REN research management experts.