Open Science rewarded: Four Projects to receive the National Prize for Open Research Data

Berne, 27 November, 2024

The Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences have once again awarded the National Prize for Open Research Data (ORD) in 2024. This year, four projects have been honoured with a total of CHF 21,000:

Pathoplexus, led by the eponymous association based in Basel, 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, led by 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. This global initiative promotes 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.

ENAC-IT4Research, led by Charlotte (Charlie) Weil at EPF Lausanne. This pioneering initiative 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.

More information about the winning projects

About the National ORD Prize

Since 2023, the National ORD Prize has recognised Swiss researchers at all career levels for innovative practices in open research data. This year’s call targeted projects that emphasize collaborative and/or interdisciplinary reuse of research data and/or implement educational or outreach activities related to research data reuse.

The award is part of the National ORD Strategy, aiming to advance the transition to open research data in science. Winners are selected by the ORD Prize Jury, comprising members of the ORD Sounding Board Researchers. Associate Professor Evie Vergauwe (University of Geneva), Chair of the ORD Prize Jury, explains: “The recognition of these research projects with four different approaches represents the diversity of the ORD research landscape in Switzerland.”

Additionally, the ORD Prize Jury recognized two researchers for their projects:

• Prof. Dr. Béatrice Joyeux-Prunel (Digital Humanities, University of Geneva) for “BasArt, and Visual Contagions/Explore: Two Databases to Track the Global Circulation of Art and Images."
• Dr. Guillaume Anciaux and Dr. Son Pham-Ba (Civil Engineering, EPF Lausanne) for "Dissemination of Computational Solid Mechanics (DCSM)."

Contact for further information

Olivia Denk

Specialist Open Science & Head of ORD Unit a+

+41 31 306 92 11

olivia.denk@akademien-schweiz.ch