Open Research Data
Award Winners National ORD Prize
2024
«Pathoplexus»
Led by the eponymous association based in Basel, «Pathoplexus» is a groundbreaking genome sequencing database for viruses of public health relevance. Unlike existing databases, Pathoplexus ensures open access and provides a cutting-edge infrastructure for interactive and programmable data exploration and download. Supported by the open-source software Loculus, the platform allows users to create their own database. The project is driven by a consortium of members from 10 countries across five continents, with contributors including researchers from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in Basel (Prof. Dr. Emma Hodcroft), ETH Zurich (Dr. Chaoran Chen, Prof. Dr. Tanja Stadler), and the University of Basel (Prof. Dr. Richard Neher, Cornelius Roemer).
«ROADS: Reusing Openly Accessible research Data for Student theses»
Under the lead of Dr. Anna Daudrich (ZHAW), ROADS focuses on the "R" (Reusable) of the FAIR principles, investigating whether publicly accessible datasets are genuinely reusable. The project repurposes existing research data from student theses across various disciplines, aiming to identify challenges and opportunities in data reuse. It develops recommendations and support materials (e.g., discipline-specific guidelines) to enhance processes for making research data reusable. The project places special emphasis on young researchers, whose data literacy is strengthened and who benefit from the interdisciplinary and cross-departmental collaboration of the project team.
«openwashdata: Open WASH data by building Community and Data»
Led by Elizabeth (Liz) Tilley, Associate Professor at ETH Zurich’s Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, «openwashdata» is a global initiative promoting the FAIR principles for data in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). By converting data from diverse formats into R data packages available on GitHub, the project enhances data reuse. Each dataset is published as a citable, versioned object with a DOI on Zenodo. Openwashdata also offers a free, practice-orientated online course on data management, along with webinars and hackathons to build networks and raise awareness about open research data. Since its launch in 2023, 17 datasets have been published, with over 1,400 views and 69 downloads.
«ECAN-IT4Research»
This pioneering initiative, led by Charlotte (Charlie) Weil at EPFL's School of Architecture, Civil, and Environmental Engineering (ENAC) supports researchers in applying FAIR practices. The team develops open-source tools, conducts workshops, and provides technical support for research projects. Efforts include standardizing datasets, creating reusable scripts, and developing web apps. Since 2021, ENAC-IT4Research has successfully supported projects in construction industry, meteorology, and social architecture, significantly enhancing the skills of researchers from students to professors.
2023
Gold
The LOTUS Initiative
Dr. Adriano Rutz, a Postdoc researcher in molecular systems biology at ETH Zurich, has won the National ORD Gold Prize with his project The Lotus Initiative. With 750,000 referenced structural organism pairs, this project is pioneering new ways of disseminating knowledge in natural products research by linking chemical structures and biological organisms with one another. The combination of an interactive web portal and a Wikidata version enables LOTUS data to be re-used in a user-friendly way and further data to be added by the community. Impressive access and download rates demonstrate the importance of promoting collaborative and interdisciplinary projects, particularly in the fields of biology and chemistry.
Silver
Swissvotes
The Silver Prize was awarded to Dr. Hans-Peter Schaub, a Senior Researcher at the University of Bern’s Institute of Political Science, for his work on the Swissvotes project. This portal provides free access to data on Swiss referendums dating back to 1848. Since 2005, the data from Swissvotes has been instrumental in supporting research across various disciplines and continues to play a crucial role in deeply embedding democratic processes in society through its open access.
Bronze
Transcriptiones
Transcriptiones, which was developed at the University of Basel, revolutionizes access to transcriptions of historical manuscript sources and their metadata. By enabling researchers, students and citizen scientists to contribute via the collaborative platform, Yvonne Fuchs, coordinator of the Data Stewardship Program at the University of Lucerne, and to Dominic Weber, doctoral researcher in Digital Humanities at the University of Bern have taken a pioneer role in the promotion of ORD research practices in the field of humanities.
The three winning projects were selected from a pool of 36 applications, primarily from the fields of mathematics, natural sciences, and engineering. The University of Geneva and ETH Zurich were the most represented institutions, each submitting five applications. The applicants came from various career levels, ranging from PhD students to professors and other research positions. Less than a third of all applications were submitted by women.