Abstract

The proposed presentation delves into the progress and experiences accumulated during the last four years within the RIS Synergy project, a multidisciplinary and cross-institutional initiative to digitise the Austrian research landscape. A noteworthy facet of this bottom-up collaboration is the close synergy between research institutions and funding organisations, fostering a unique opportunity for reciprocal exchange and mutual benefit. Additionally, the presentation provides insight into the challenges faced by RIS Synergy as a nationwide digitisation initiative, especially concerning its transition from project phase to regular operations.

The RIS Synergy project (2020-2024) pursues key aspects of the digital transformation and standardisation of research information in a cross-institutional consortium of the Austrian RMA community. The project was launched in March 2020 under the project lead of TU Wien and is part of the research data cluster, a hub for digitisation projects throughout the scientific project lifecycle. Financial backing for the RIS Synergy project is provided by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research. Initially comprising 13 partners, including 10 universities and 3 research funding institutions, the project consortium has since expanded to encompass 18 participating institutions, consisting of 14 universities and 4 research funding institutions.

RIS Synergy's primary objectives are to (I) enhance administrative support for research projects, (II) elevate data quality and transparency for research institutions, funding organisations and governmental bodies, and (III) increase the international visibility of Austrian research. The project develops open access and exchange mechanisms for systems utilised by funding organisations, research institutions, and public administration. This includes the creation of interfaces designed for the automated exchange of research information between research institutions and funding organisations. By doing so, the project establishes a robust and forward-thinking foundation for digitising project administration workflows in the Austrian research landscape. The standardised exchange of metadata not only relieves the administrative workload of researchers but also enhances the efficiency and quality of research support, ultimately improving the overall data quality of research output. Furthermore, these outcomes serve as the technical underpinning for a potential national research portal in Austria. The implemented interfaces could be seamlessly integrated into such a portal.

This presentation provides insight into the project’s approach and best practices for developing standardised IT solutions across the entire RMA landscape. It concludes with a summary of the most important lessons learned during the process: how to work in an inter-institutional network, how to prioritise sustainable results, what to take into account when developing demand-oriented solutions, and how to utilise PIDS to facilitate the exchange of data.