Horizon 2020 Open Research Data 
Pilot: What is required?
Sarah Jones
Digital Curation Centre
sarah.jones@glasgow.ac.uk
Twitter: @sjDCC
Why open access and open data?
“The European Commission's vision is 
that information already paid for by 
the public purse should not be paid 
for again each time it is accessed or 
used, and that it should benefit 
European companies and citizens to 
the full.” 
https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/
data/ref/h2020/grants_manual/hi/oa_pilot/  
h2020-hi-oa-pilot-guide_en.pdf
Open Research Data (ORD) Pilot 
Pilot focuses on research data specifically
‘Research data’ refers to information, in particular facts or 
numbers, collected to be examined and considered as a basis 
for reasoning, discussion or calculation.
In a research context, examples of data include statistics, 
results of experiments, measurements, observations resulting 
from fieldwork, survey results, interview recordings and 
images. The focus is on research data that is available in 
digital form.
Guidelines on Open Access to Scientific Publications and Research Data in 
Horizon 2020 v.2.1, 15 February 2016, p3
H2020 areas participating in the pilot (2016-17)
• Future and Emerging Technologies
• Research infrastructures
• Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Information and 
Communication Technologies
• Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials, Advanced Manufacturing and 
Processing, and Biotechnology:  ‘nanosafety’ and ‘modelling’ topics
• Societal Challenge: Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, 
marine and maritime and inland water research and the bioeconomy - 
selected topics as specified in the work programme
• Societal Challenge: 'Climate Action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and 
Raw materials' – except raw materials
• Societal Challenge: 'Europe in a changing world – inclusive, innovative and 
reflective Societies'
• Science with and for Society
• Cross-cutting activities - focus areas – part Smart and Sustainable Cities
Projects in other areas can participate on a voluntary basis
• If results are expected to be commercially or industrially 
exploited
• If participation is incompatible with the need for 
confidentiality in connection with security issues
• Incompatible with existing rules on the protection of 
personal data
• Would jeopardise the achievement of the main aim of the 
action
• If the project will not generate / collect any research data
• If there are other legitimate reasons to not take part in the 
Pilot Projects can opt out at any stage
Can opt out totally or partially (i.e. for some data only)
Should describe issues in the project DMP
Exemptions – reasons for opting out
Approach: 
as open as 
possible, as 
closed as 
necessary
Image: ‘Balancing rocks’ by Viewminder CC-BY-SA-ND 
www.flickr.com/photos/light_seeker/7780857224
• The data, including associated metadata, needed to 
validate the results presented in scientific 
publications
• Other curated and/or raw data, including associated 
metadata, as specified in the data management plan
Doesn’t apply to all data (researchers to define as 
appropriate)
Don’t have to share data if inappropriate  – exemptions apply
Data underlying publications should be shared as soon as 
possible. Other data to be shared in timeframe specified in the 
Data Management Plan.
Which data does the ORD pilot apply to?
Beneficiaries participating in the ORD pilot will:
• Deposit data in a research data repository
• Take measures to enable third parties to access, 
mine, exploit, reproduce and disseminate (free 
of charge for any user) this research data
• Provide information via the chosen repository 
about tools and instruments necessary for 
validating the results (where possible, provide 
the tools and instruments themselves)
Key requirements of the ORD pilot 
Data Management Plans
Projects participating in the pilot will be required to 
develop a Data Management plan (DMP), in which 
they will specify what data will be open.
Note that the Commission does NOT require applicants to 
submit a DMP at the proposal stage.
A DMP is therefore NOT part of the evaluation.  
DMPs are a deliverable for those participating in the pilot.
Initial DMP (at 6 months)
The DMP should address the points below on a dataset by dataset basis:
• Data set reference and name
• Data set description
• Standards and metadata
• Data sharing
• Archiving and preservation (including storage and backup)
More elaborate DMP
Scientific research data should be easily:
1. Discoverable
Are the data and software discoverable and identifiable by a standard mechanism e.g. DOIs?
2. Accessible
Are the data and software accessible and under what conditions e.g. licenses, embargoes 
etc?
3. Assessable and intelligible
Are the data and software assessable and intelligible to third parties for scrutiny and peer-
review? E.g. can judgements be made about their reliability and the competence of those 
who created them?
4. Useable beyond the original purpose for which it was collected
Are the data properly curated and stored together with the minimum software and 
documentation to be useable by third parties in the long-term?
5. Interoperable to specific quality standards
Are the data and software interoperable, allowing data exchange between researchers, 
institutions, countries etc? e.g. Adhering to standards and compliant with available 
applications
Useful references
• Guidelines on Open Access to Scientific 
Publications and Research Data in Horizon 2020
https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/r
ef/h2020/grants_manual/hi/oa_pilot/h2020-hi-oa-pi
lot-guide_en.pdf 
• Guidelines on Data Management in Horizon 
2020
https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/r
ef/h2020/grants_manual/hi/oa_pilot/h2020-hi-oa-da
ta-mgt_en.pdf