TU-NET, the strategic alliance of Ireland’s five technological universities, has launched a national pilot under the Horizon Europe–funded Open Science Trails (OSTrails) project — a coordinated drive to embed cutting-edge, FAIR-aligned research data management across the sector.
Launched in September 2025 and led by Technological University Dublin, the pilot brings together Atlantic Technological University, Munster Technological University, South East Technological University, Technological University Dublin and Technological University of the Shannon in a shared effort to make research data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR).
What the pilot will do
The Irish National Case Study centres on deploying ARGOS, a Data Management Planning (DMP) platform, across the technological university sector. It will be supported by machine-actionable DMP templates — fully compliant with the OSTrails schema and integrated with the TU-NET Zenodo Community — so that the information in a data management plan is structured, programmatically readable, and able to feed into research information systems at institutional, national and international levels.
Key deliverables
- Machine-actionable DMP templates aligned to the OSTrails schema
- Five researcher webinars and five hands-on training workshops — one at each participating university
- At least two research groups per institution trialling and co-developing local ARGOS instances, templates and FAIR assessment tools
The pilot will also explore interoperability between institutional Current Research Information Systems (PURE) and ARGOS, and assess the feasibility of FAIR assessment tools at repository level.
Expected outcomes
- Sustainable infrastructure underpinning robust research data management workflows
- Semi-automation and strengthening of FAIR practice across institutions
- Better interoperability and oversight of research outputs, improving Ireland’s readiness for the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC)
- Standardised schemas enabling automated FAIR assessment of digital research objects
Dr Brendan Jennings, Chief Officer for Research, Innovation & Engagement at ATU, described research data as “a key institutional asset” that, curated well, can deliver lasting insights and innovation with real regional impact.
Ireland’s involvement in OSTrails reinforces its commitment to open science and to keeping the national research landscape aligned with European and global best practice.
Get involved
Researchers and research groups interested in taking part can contact Shirley Wrynn, Research Integration Project Manager (shirley.wrynn@atu.ie), or Kathryn Briggs, Data Management and Stewardship Officer (kathryn.briggs@atu.ie). Further detail is available on the OSTrails national pilot page.
Adapted from an announcement by Atlantic Technological University.