CERIF-CRIS Overview

Keith G Jefferykeith.jeffery@stfc.ac.uk

www.eurocris.org

Structure

• The Vision• The CERIF Model• The CERIF Model in use

The Vision

• Any valid user should be able from any location, and via any device, to access research information anywhere in Europe (and wider) whatever the structure and content of the source

• To form the ERA (European Research Area)– With free movement of research information to match

the free movement of goods and services, people, capital

– And hence the ‘knowledge economy’ and now the ‘innovation union’

The Action

• In 1997 EC brought together a group of national experts to develop a mechanism for data exchange and access to CRIS (Current Research Information Systems)– Following earlier multinational pilots

• Experts recommended CERIF2000• EU Recommendation to Member States• 2002 EC requested euroCRIS to maintain,

develop and promote CERIF

Structure

• The Vision• The CERIF Model• The CERIF Model in use

The Users

• Research and Development Information– For the political decision-makers– For the funding organisations– For the entrepreneurs– For the researchers– For the research managers– For the innovators– For the media– For the general public

Project

Person / CV

Institution

Event

Equipment

Books

Journal/article

PatentResearch

Group

Publisher

Information of Interest

PROJECT

ORGUNIT

Skills

CV

GeneralFacility

ParticularEquipment

Contact

ResultsPublication

ResultsPatentResultsProduct

Service

FundingProgramme

Event

ClassificationPrize/Award

PERSON

The CERIF Model

RESULT_PUBLICATION

PROJECT

ORGUNITPERSON

Result_Publication

Can Express:Person A (DT1 - DT2) (is author of) Publication XOrgunit O (DT1 - DT2) (is owner of IPR in) Publication XPerson A (DT1 - DT2) (is employee of ) Orgunit OPerson A (DT1 - DT2) (is project leader of) Project PPerson A (DT1-DT2) (is member of) Orgunit MPerson A (DT1-DT2) (is member of) Orgunit NOrgunit M (DT1-DT2) (is part of) Orgunit OOrgunit N (DT1-DT2) (is part of) Orgunit O

CERIF Expressiveness

Result_PublicationInstance Diagram

Person A

Publication X

OrgUnit O

OrgUnit M

OrgUnit N

Project P

member

member

employee

Part of

Part of

owns IPRauthor

Project leader

Recommended Architecture

CERIF-CRIS

Repository

Data for researchers, research managers, evaluators, innovators

Rich contextual Metadata linking to full text or multimedia in a repository

CERIF-CRIS and other Metadata

• DC developed as metadata to access internet content (full text or multimedia)

• DC does not contain elements needed for many research management tasks

• DC improved with qualified DC (namespaces) and RDF version (structured assertions) but remains incomplete

CERIF-CRIS and other Metadata

• OpenAIRE system developed to manage evaluation of output from EC funded projects

• added (some of) CERIF to the original data model

• Does not make use of the full potential of CERIF

CERIF is more expressive than other models

• First order logic– E.g. <Thomas Hardy> <is author of> <‘The Dynasts’>– Can assert or deduce or induce

• Formal Syntax– Structure flexible and defined

• ensures structural integrity • and computing efficiency

• Declared Semantics in separate layer– Class schemes: Ensures semantic integrity

• Terms defined in relation to each other

– Multiple semantic schemes over same syntax possible• Allows for e.g. Classification crosswalks

CERIF interoperates

• If have ‘n’ systems that wish to interoperate– If each interoperates with each other have n*(n-1)

convertor systems or wrappers– If all use CERIF have only n convertor systems or

wrappers• From CERIF can generate many other

(meta)data standards in research information

CRIS + Repositories at 1 institution

CRISResearch Context

[projects, persons, organisational unitsfunding, products, patents, publications

facilities, equipment, events]

OA Repository(hypermedia) Documents

e-Research repositoryDatasets and Software

OAI-PMH

Various

protocols

End-User

CERIFCERIF

….and multiple institutions

CRIS

OA repository

e-Researchrepository

CRIS

OA repository

e-Researchrepository

CRIS

OA repository

e-Researchrepository

End-User End-User End-User

Institution A Institution B Institution C

Structure

• The Vision• The CERIF Model• The CERIF Model in use

Rationale

• Increasingly – Universities need to manage their research– Funders need to justify expenditure on research

by outputs, outcomes and impact• And there is a need for comparison

– Nationally– Internationally

• so need to use the same model for exchange and access

CERIF-CRIS Being Useful

• Management information / decision support– Improved investment– Improved career management– Improved management of IP

• Evaluation– Automated generation of indicators

• Covering funding, output, environment, impact

– Comparison of performance– funding decisions

A CERIF-CRIS improves management and reduces effort in reporting

CERIF-CRIS Being Useful

• Researcher CVs• Bibliographies• Web pages (semantic web)• Improved scholarly publications• Improved research proposals• Finding collaborators• Finding reviewers• Current awareness of relevant research activity• Finding appropriate funding opportunities• Innovation (knowledge and technology transfer)A CERIF-CRIS improves quality and reduces effort in daily work

CERIF in Use•National systems: IS, NO, DK, NL, SK, SL, BE, RU (SE)•In use in funding organisations and universities or research institutions in many more countries: DE, FR, IT, FI, IE, GR, CZ•In UK ~40 universities using it or working on it

–HEFCE, UUK, RCUK, ARMA, other funders agreed (2010) CERIF is UK standard for research information–Used for REF and for RC evaluation of research output

•ERC, ESF specified CERIF for their (being developed) systems•CORDIS planning for CERIF

Flexible Architecture

• Central CERIF-CRIS with direct input: NO• Central CERIF-CRIS with CERIF-XML input from

universities: BE• Individual university and funding council CRIS

(some CERIF, some wrapped) with interoperation using CERIF-XML: UK

• now need to interoperate internationally

CERIF-CRIS at One Organisation

Publicationrepository

DatasetSoftwarerepository

Finance system

HumanResources

system

Project Management

system

CERIF-CRIS

Web pages DirectoryServices

This is fine for one organisation but research is international, so…

CERIF Interoperation

CERIF-CRIS CERIF-CRIS

CERIF-CRIS

CERIF provides interoperation of CRIS and associated systems with formal syntax and declared semantics so that it is reliable and scalable.

Interconnect

Backplane

Research Environment Architecture

CERIF INTEROPERATION BACKPLANE

Web 2.0 / Social Networking Environment

Direct user communication

Indirect user communication Indirect

user communica

tion

Heterogeneous information sources

presentation

CERIF-CRIS

CERIF-CRIS

CERIF-WRAPPED CRIS

CERIF-WRAPPED CRIS

CERIF Evolves

• CERIF Task Group– Open to any euroCRIS member– Discusses proposals for improvements to CERIF– Releases versions (backward compatible)– Provides scripts for CERIF-CRIS initiation– Provides schemas for CERIF-XML for interchange

• Now 4 commercial companies offer CERIF-compatible CRIS

Task Groups & Executive Functions

• CRIS-IR– Interface CRIS to

repositories

• Best Practice / DRIS– How best to use CRIS and

CERIF

• Architecture– Software services for CRIS

and CERIF

• Projects– Joint projects to develop

and promote CERIF-CRIS

• Strategy– Strategic partners– External relations– Strategic seminar

• Conferences– Guiding / managing /

overseeing

• Website– Major channel of

communication for euroCRIS