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The ORBIT Project

Historical Working Group

Related: Reports and ORCID Recommendations from ORBIT Funder Working Group

The ORCID Reducing Burden and Improving Transparency (ORBIT) project was created to engage funders in the use of persistent identifiers to automate and streamline the flow of research information between systems.

ORBIT revolved around a simple idea: by pooling our know-how and influence, we could deliver a huge step forward for the transparency and reliability of research information.

ORCID iDs serve as keys that permit researchers to easily share information with research systems. For these benefits to be realized, each sector of the research community – funders, publishers, universities – needs to engage with researchers to collect ORCID iDs, store them in their systems, and actively share information with embedded identifiers.

As part of the ORBIT project we developed and tested practical uses of identifiers in funder grant management systems. The project aimed to make it easier for researchers to share information, improve the accuracy of shared information, enrich the types of information that can be easily shared, and reduce reporting burden for researchers and funders alike. These improvements will help funders to keep in touch with what is happening during the lifetime of the project, and researchers to have more time to contribute to these projects.

ORBIT was targeted at the funding community and had two components: a funder network and demonstration projects. Funders were invited to participate in our:

  • Funder Working Group: A funder network with the aim of exploring the use of PIDs in enabling research information sharing, access, and accountability. Group outputs included developing policy and communications resources. 
  • Pathfinder Projects: Practical demonstration projects to enable data connections in their systems using PIDs. Group outputs were centered on producing in-practice PID integrations.

Ultimately, ORBIT was created to optimize an open infrastructure that supports open research. Project success will increase the efficiency of grant application workflows; improve the ease of program data collection; and result in more systems sharing more research information.

This ORCID/NIH-hosted webinar, from November 2017, provides some additional background information on the ORBIT project.