Open Research Data (ORD) - the uptake in Horizon 2020

In Horizon 2020 the Commission committed itself to running a flexible pilot on open research data (ORD Pilot). The ORD pilot aims to improve and maximise access to and re-use of research data generated by Horizon 2020 projects. It takes into account the need to balance openness and protection of scientific information, commercialisation and IPR, privacy concerns, security as well as data management and preservation questions.

This ORD pilot comprises various selected areas of Horizon 2020 ('core areas' ). Projects not covered by the scope of the pilot can participate on an individual and voluntary project-by-project basis ('opt-in'). Projects may also decide not to participate in the pilot ('opt-out') at any stage of the project lifecycle.

As of the Work Programme 2017 the ORD pilot scope is extended to cover all thematic areas of Horizon 2020 so as to make open research data the default, but retaining opt-out possibilities – however, this does not yet apply to the datasets analysed below.

The ORD pilot applies primarily to the data needed to validate the results presented in scientific publications. Other data can also be provided by the beneficiaries on a voluntary basis, as stated in their Data Management Plans (DMP). Costs associated with data management, including the creation of a data management plan, can be claimed as eligible costs in any Horizon 2020 grant.

It should be noted that the potential participation in the pilot is not part of the evaluation of proposals: in other words, proposals are not evaluated more favourably because they are part of the ORD pilot and are not penalised for opting out of the ORD pilot.

The legal requirements for projects participating in this pilot are contained in article 29.3 of the Model Grant Agreement.

This file does not contain research data generated by Horizon 2020 projects themselves. Rather it provides an overview of the take-up of the Commission's Open Research Data Pilot (ORD Pilot) It gives statistics by call about proposals: - Opting out of the Pilot on Open Access Research data in H2020 - Participating in the Pilot on Open Access Research data in H2020 on a voluntary bases (opt-in).

This overview encompasses two finalised datasets obtained from CORDA: 2014-2015 and 2015-2016. Data obtained from CORDA. the following instruments are excluded: SME instrument, cofund, and prizes. ERC grants are also not included for the 2015-2016 sample. These datasets have been cleaned in order to reduce overlap and replace previous datasets. In this period, 68% of the funded projects in the core areas (CA) participate in the ORD. Correspondingly, the average opt-out rate in signed grant agreements is 32%. Outside the core areas, 9% of projects make use of the voluntary opt-in possibility.