Main description (English)

The Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMAR) of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) conducts fundamental and applied research in the fields of physical, chemical and biological oceanography, ecology, and marine geology. The institute contributes to understanding ocean processes and climate variability, as well as to the development of systems and services for observing, forecasting, protecting, and sustainably managing the marine environment and its resources. CNR-ISMAR produces various types of data (e.g. in the ecological, oceanographic, geophysical and geological domains) in the form of, among others, spatial datasets and long-term time series, that are the result of ocean observation and multidisciplinary research. CNR-ISMAR adopts a data access policy that complies with the open-access and FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) established in national and EU legislation, in line with the institution’s mission, structure and organisation. In general, the policy is guided by four key elements, with the objective of making data “as open as possible”: - data is produced with public funds and therefore public use and reuse should be encouraged; - open data allows for faster advancement of knowledge with a positive effect on research results; - sharing promotes the visibility and scientific output of the individual researchers who generated the data; - sharing also enables the reuse of data by third parties with objectives that may differ from those of the data producers, thereby enhancing the overall value and impact. In addition, such reuse can support the development of new research based on this data, for example by making bathymetric data available for biological, oceanographic, or geological studies. This document defines the policy for accessing data and information made available by CNR-ISMAR, with the aim of facilitating its dissemination, access and use within the institute and beyond. The document sets out guidelines for sharing data and information in order to strike a balance between the rights of those who produce it and the need for free, open, and unrestricted sharing and exchange. The main objectives of the CNR-ISMAR Data Policy are: - to promote the quality, integrity and reliability of scientific data produced within CNR-ISMAR projects/campaigns; - to ensure the security and confidentiality of sensitive data; - to encourage the sharing and accessibility of data among researchers and the scientific community;