ORCID and the ICSU World Data System (ICSU-WDS) share a common interest in improving how we share research information. ORCID empowers researchers and the institutions that support them to make trusted digital connections between researchers and their works and affiliations. WDS promotes universal and equitable access to, and long-term stewardship of, quality-assured scientific data and data services, products, and information across a broad range of disciplines.
ICSU-WDS is a membership organization committed to improve the trustworthiness of scientific data services by fostering the compliance with international and agreed-upon community standards, increasing data accessibility and the sustainability of scientific data infrastructures. It promotes universal and equitable access to quality-assessed scientific data, data services, products, and information covering a broad range of disciplines from the natural and social sciences, and humanities. Accredited WDS Regular and Network Members have a national or international remit for scientific data stewardship, while co-opted Partner and Associate Members support the WDS endeavor.
Our organizations met during International Data Week in Denver to discuss opportunities of collaboration and were able to identify several areas of convergence: using persistent identifiers for datasets to enable discoverability; promoting use of ORCID in dataset deposit workflows to enable citation; and working together on promulgating certification schemes for data repositories.
Given our shared objectives, we have agreed to enter into a formal partnership, the ultimate goal of which is to build levels of trust to enable sharing of research data.
Both we and WDS are looking forward to working together, and to continuing our productive conversations about identifiers, attribution, resolution, and access.
For more information, see the ICSU-WDS press release and the Memorandum of Understanding describing the partnership.
