Defines how datasets, models, workflows, applications, and other research artefacts are managed, shared, licensed, and reused within the D4Science infrastructure, promoting FAIR principles and responsible scientific collaboration.
This is the final version 1.1 of the Data Governance and Research Artefact Policy, which entered into force on 1 April 2026.
Purpose and Scope
The D4Science infrastructure enables research communities to manage, analyse, and share a wide variety of digital resources that support scientific activities. These resources, collectively referred to as research artefacts, represent the core assets of the scientific process.
This policy defines the principles governing the management, sharing, publication, and reuse of research artefacts within the infrastructure. It aims to ensure that these artefacts are handled in a way that promotes transparency, reproducibility, legal compliance, and long-term usability of research outputs.
This policy applies to all research artefacts managed through D4Science services, including those stored, processed, or published within Virtual Research Environments.
Relationship with the Policy Framework
This document forms part of the D4Science Policy Framework. It should be read in conjunction with the Terms of Use and other governance documents to understand the full set of rules and protections applicable to the infrastructure.
Research Artefacts
Within the D4Science infrastructure, research artefacts are understood as digital resources that contribute to scientific work. These include datasets, computational models, analytical workflows, scripts and notebooks, software components, containerised applications, and interactive applications.
These artefacts are not treated as isolated elements, but as part of an integrated ecosystem where data, methods, and applications interact to support scientific discovery.
Data Governance Principles
D4Science promotes responsible governance of research artefacts based on widely recognized principles. In particular, the infrastructure encourages the adoption of the FAIR principles, ensuring that research artefacts are findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable.
These principles guide how artefacts are managed and shared within Virtual Research Environments and support the broader objectives of Open Science.
Roles and Responsibilities
The governance of research artefacts involves multiple actors, each with specific responsibilities:
• Artefact Owners: Users who create or upload research artefacts. They retain ownership of their intellectual property and are responsible for ensuring rights to use/share, defining licensing, and providing accurate metadata.
• Virtual Research Environment Managers: Oversee how artefacts are shared within a community. They may define policies governing access, publication, and reuse in accordance with community objectives.
• Infrastructure Operator: Provides the technical platform for storage and sharing. The operator does not assume ownership of artefacts and does not verify their scientific correctness.
Storage and Sharing of Research Artefacts
D4Science provides integrated services that allow research artefacts to be stored, accessed, and shared across Virtual Research Environments. Artefacts may be kept private, shared with selected collaborators, made available to an entire Virtual Research Environment, or published for broader access.
A key feature of the infrastructure is that artefacts are accessible across services. For example, the same data can be accessed from Workspace, analysed in JupyterLab or RStudio, processed through computational platforms, and published through catalogue services without duplication.
Metadata and Documentation
Proper documentation is essential to ensure discovery and reuse. Users are encouraged to provide metadata including title, description, authors, creation date, licensing information, keywords, and references to related publications. Where relevant, metadata should also describe the provenance of the artefact, including how it was generated and which sources were used.
Licensing of Research Artefacts
Licensing is a fundamental aspect of enabling reuse. The recommended default license for datasets is Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY 4.0), which allows reuse while ensuring proper attribution. Other licenses may be used where required by institutional policies, project agreements, or legal constraints. Users accessing artefacts must respect the licensing conditions specified by the artefact owner.
Attribution and Citation
Research artefacts published through the infrastructure should include clear information on how they should be cited. Users reusing artefacts are expected to provide appropriate attribution to the original creators.
Citation of the D4Science infrastructure itself should follow the guidance provided in the Terms of Use and available at: https://www.d4science.org/how-cite
Derivative Artefacts
Users may create derivative artefacts by combining datasets, modifying workflows, extending models, or adapting applications. When doing so, users must comply with the licensing conditions of original artefacts, provide appropriate attribution, and document the transformations applied.
Execution of Research Artefacts
The D4Science infrastructure enables the execution of user-provided artefacts (workflows, models, applications) within its computational environments. While the infrastructure provides the execution environment, responsibility for the artefact remains with its author.
Users must ensure that their artefacts comply with applicable laws, respect licensing requirements, and do not compromise infrastructure security. The infrastructure operator may restrict or suspend artefacts that pose risks to system stability or security.
Data Retention and Responsibility for Content
Retention depends on the services used. Artefacts in personal areas may be removed when accounts are deleted, while shared artefacts may remain accessible within the collaboration context. Responsibility for the content of research artefacts remains with their creators and the communities managing them. Users must ensure that artefacts do not violate applicable laws or third-party rights.
Policy Updates
This policy may be updated to reflect changes in infrastructure services, evolving data governance practices, or regulatory requirements. Updated versions will be published through official D4Science channels.