Principles of open science are becoming an integral part of today’s research. Accessing and using research data contributes to developing the innovations and solving the societal challenges. Lithuania is actively strengthening its role in the field by joining international networks. Lithuanian Data Archive for Social Sciences and Humanities (LiDA), based in Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), has become one of the country’s most important research links to the European social sciences data archives.
LiDA has been building and maintaining Lithuania’s open data traditions for many years. The data is not only available in Lithuania, but in global search engines too, which ensures its international use.
Prof Dr Vaidas Morkevičius, the coordinator of LiDA, notes that several Lithuanian institutions and their researchers provide access to their data through the archive’s infrastructure, such as Vilnius University, Office of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, Lithuanian Council for Culture, National Agency for Education, Government Strategic Analysis Center (STRATA), and others.
Lithuania is a part of international network
On November 14th, the event Strengthening Lithuania’s Potential in the Humanities and Social Sciences Through LiDA and CESSDA ERIC took place at KTU Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities (FSSAH). This event was organised on the occasion of LiDA joining the Consortium of European Social Sciences Data Archive CESSDA ERIC celebrating a new milestone in the development of social sciences and humanities in Lithuania, enabling researchers to cooperate more closely with the European colleagues and exchange the best practices.
According to Professor Dr Audronė Telešienė, the head of the Centre of Data Analysis and Archiving, international cooperation significantly contributes to the mission of LiDA, which is ensuring access to Lithuanian and international empirical social science and humanities research data and strenghtening open science. LiDA is building the community of open data users and aims to facilitate the use of data when making informed decisions. It is a privilege that LiDA is developing their activities with the help of the National Advisory Council, established in 2024. Some members of the Council are researchers at the most prominent Lithuanian universities, research institutes, and the representatives of public and private sector institutions.
Open science can strengthen society
According to Dr Wolff-Boenisch, the head of CESSDA ERIC, social science research data can serve as a basis for solving current societal issues. Open data not only strenghtens the research but serves as a key tool developing evidence-based policies, solving societal issues, and stimulating economical and societal progress as well.
KTU is taking a major step towards enhancing the visibility and impact of national research internationally by becoming one of the most prominent links to the European data networks. It reflects Lithuania’s commitment to develop the potential of social sciences and humanities based on open science principles.
Joining CESSDA ERIC marks a significant moment in strenghtening Lithuania’s research visibility internationally. “Lithuania becomes the 23rd member of CESSDA ERIC, which allows Lithuanian researchers to collaborate with research infrastructures in the social sciences as well as in other fields,” said Dr Wolff-Boenisch. Being a part of CESSDA ERIC working groups, Lithuania is able to contribute to the development of European Research Area and strenghten its own research infrastructures.
Data accessibility is important to solve current issues
Dr Wolff-Boenisch highlights that the Consortium cooperates closely with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) to ensure that the social science research data would be accessible and well-described. “We are profoundly engaged in this process to ensure that social science research data would be as accessible and well-described as possible, so it could be used as a tool to address current societal problems over time,” said Dr Wolff-Boenisch.
In the context of research, Dr Wolff-Boenisch emphasised the importance of FAIR principles—the data must be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. She noted that CESSDA ERIC helps researchers all over Europe implement these principles by ensuring standards in the research data handling and accessibility. She added that CESSDA ERIC provides an infrastructure which can archive, curate, and share data by increasing its accessibility and usability.
Photos from the event
