This is a talk I gave at the Research Data Alliance Plenary in Montreal in September 2017 for the Legal Interoperability Interest Group. It explains the context in which research supported through the Belmont Forum, and what barriers may exist to legal interoperability of the resulting data.

1. Barriers to implementing legal interoperability principles
for data in the context of multinational, multifunder,
transdisciplinary projects
By Carrie E. Seltzer, Ph.D.
September 20, 2017
RDA 10th Plenary
RDA/CODATA Legal
Interoperability Interest
Group

5. PROJECT TEAM RECIPE
Projects must have:
• Natural scientists, social scientists AND stakeholders
• Transdisciplinary, co-created research
• Team members from at least three different countries
• Support from at least three different funders

6. E-INFRASTRUCTURES AND
DATA MANAGEMENT
“….the need to address global
environmental challenges requires a
more coordinated approach to the
planning, implementation, and
management of data, analytics and e-
Infrastructures” through international
collaboration.
- Belmont Forum, New Delhi, February
2013

7. COMMUNITY STRATEGY AND
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
CSIP delivered June 2015
Belmont Forum adopted
Data Principles and Policy
October 2015

8. BELMONT FORUM DATA POLICY
AND PRINCIPLES
Data should be:
• Discoverable through catalogues and search engines
• Accessible as open data by default, and made available with
minimum time delay
• Understandable in a way that allows researchers—including those
outside the discipline of origin—to use them
• Manageable and protected from loss for future use in sustainable,
trustworthy repositories
The Belmont Forum and its members will support and promote this
data policy and principles with the intent of making these data
principles enforceable over time.

9. PHASE 2: IMPLEMENTATION
Coordination
Office
Data
Planning
e-Infrastructures
Capacity
Building

10. EARLIER PROJECTS
Considerations:
• Belmont Forum projects started prior to 2017
generally did not have open data or data
management requirements (beyond what was
required by individual funders)
• Could provide useful retrospective case studies

11. IMPLEMENTATION
Elements:
• Incorporating standard language into each call text.
• Requiring different levels of data management
questions at:
• Pre-proposal or letter of intent
• Full proposal
• Award
• Collecting policies from all funders involved
• Offering/requiring data skills training as part of a
recommended curriculum based on identified skill gaps

12. INTERSECTION WITH LEGAL
INTEROPERABILITY GUIDELINES
Existing:
• Top-down harmonization. (Guidelines 5A/5C)
In progress:
• Education about rights and responsibilities in research data
(Guideline 2D)
Opportunities:
• Determine rights & responsibilities (Principle 2 & guidelines)
• Balance legal interests (Principle 3 & guidelines)
• State the rights transparently and clearly (Principle 4 &
guidelines)

13. CRAs SINCE IMPLEMENTAITON
Timelines:
• Three Collaborative Research Actions (CRAs)
require open data and data management plans
• Proposals are not yet submitted
• Awards will be made in 2018
• Some level of data skills training will be offered
for project teams in 2018
• Projects will be last 3 years

14. CRAs IN DEVELOPMENT
Elements:
• Other CRAs are about one year behind
• Call text not finalized
• Opportunities to more deeply integrate legal
interoperability guidelines

15. FOR DISCUSSION 15:30-
17:00
• Would this group like to explore the
implementation in the Belmont Forum context in
greater depth?
• Which principle(s) would be best to focus on?
• What resources would be required?
• On what timeline would the activity occur?
• What would be desirable outcomes?
ALL ARE WELCOME TO JOIN THE BREAKOUT IN
MANSFIELD 9!