Our ambassadors

The statement is true, but it needs some explanation. Our ambassadors are also special, and their importance is not diminished by the fact that in many respects they do not correspond to the resolution of the Congress of Vienna in 1815, which for the first time laid down the nature of this highest diplomatic rank. It was decided then that ambassadors could only be ambassadors of great powers. This has since been overtaken by time, and since 1955 Hungary can and has had an ambassador. And if size does not matter, why not an institution, especially if it is a leader in a field of science?

But let us not dream, because while imagination, daring, and creativity are valuable qualities in a research institute, the same can only be said of dreaming with some reservations. 

Our ambassadors do not meet the classic criteria, if only because they were not appointed to the post but volunteered for it. The only thing left to do is to find out what HUN-REN-ARP is. HUN-REN is the abbreviation for Hungarian Research Network and ARP is the organization's Data Repository Platform**. 

The word repository, translated from the repository, means a repository, and the widely and often used "platform" implies a user interface.

This brings us to the point.  Is there a need to create "repositories"? 

Not a small one!

But it's much better if our ambassadors, Gyula Balla, a researcher in the Translational Behaviour Neuroscience Group, and Orsolya Karácsony, a researcher in the Molecular Pharmacology Group, explain it to us.

- For what purpose did you apply for this extra task?

Gyula

- Rules and possibilities for publishing research results have changed significantly in the last ten years alone. I aim to learn about and disseminate the European Union's Open Science guidelines in detail and to raise awareness among researchers about the importance of archiving and storing their work on home servers. Transparently storing experimental data with its metadata accessible to all can lead to more reproducible science. I have always wondered how the data generated during experiments could be practically stored. In our group, the proper organization and universal accessibility of our many kinds of files are key priorities for their interpretation. I wondered whether ARP could be a logical way to address these needs.

Orsi

- I wanted to be an ARP Ambassador because I am convinced that the availability of scientific experimental data in a usable form will move science forward.  Naturally, it includes open access (OA) publications, the transparency of researchers' work, and the collaboration of the research community.

- Can you give me an example? 

- It is not uncommon that some data collected for one project, whether collateral or insignificant, can be relevant for another project. Using a widely accessible, transparent, well-documented data repository, unused data can be used in another project, triggering costly, time-consuming, and possibly animal-costly experiments.

In addition, as Gyula pointed out, an increasing number of reputable scientific journals are asking for the raw data underlying a submitted manuscript to be placed in a publicly accessible repository, and research grant applicants are increasingly demanding a data management plan. These will increase the transparency of research work, and thus its comprehensibility and reproducibility. 

- Do we already have such a repository?

The design and operation of the domestically developed and owned "Treasure What We Have" repository meets international standards and the requirements of prestigious international journals, and can be recommended to all. 

- Did you have any other purpose to apply for the job?

- My work regularly involves learning methods and tools I have never used earlier, so I often need help. So far I have always received it. Luckily, we have a cooperative rather than competitive attitude. By learning about the data repository, I would like to study something valuable that I can "put into the community" in return for all the help I have received. Therefore, I would like not only to learn about the operation and management of such a repository on a user level but to be able to share this knowledge.

- Regarding your experiments, what seems to be the most important right now?

Orsi

I want to be an expert in uploading experimental data to a server in an organized format before publication and in long-term maintenance as I am in experimental design and data analysis. So far, unfortunately, this is not the case, especially for large and old files.

Gyula

We apply many experimental approaches in our work, from behavioral biology tests to image processing and RNA sequencing. When an experiment (or series of experiments) is completed, we often structure and reorganize our data differently from its previous or original form. The final disposition of the results thus provides an opportunity to archive and share them in a more transparent system that is more understandable to ourselves and others. I wanted to find out how well the platform is suited to such an endeavor.

- What was your expectation - your vision - for the training?

Gyula

- ARP is a new data storage infrastructure service designed to enable us to efficiently store experimental data that we can share via home servers. The development of the repository is actively underway, and ambassadors will have the opportunity to participate in its testing and development by contributing problems and ideas as they arise. The fact that we can use our fellow researchers in the same region to store our data has lots of potential. It allows for a much broader, more flexible workflow than if we turn to some international alternative. If we occasionally encounter minor difficulties because of the novelty of this service the developers will help us to move on quickly and easily.

Orsi

 - I was expecting the developers of the data storage system to impart the knowledge necessary for its meaningful use, to show me through examples how to use the system and aspects of it, and to give me examples of how to write a data management plan.

- What has happened so far?

Orsi

- We have already had four meetings. In the first, the ambassadors presented their work, with a particular focus on the project they brought in; in the second, we heard a presentation on open science and received guidance on how to prepare a data management plan; in the third, we listened to a presentation on data uploading and the use of repositories; in the fourth, a lawyer gave a presentation on copyright and licensing variations relevant to researchers. The current programme will run for eight months and this is the second such round.

Gyula

- While the training is ongoing, we will have the opportunity to learn about the background and functioning of the platform through a project of our own. During the monthly training, we will not only learn about one aspect of the Repository - its background, history, and structure - but also about the key principles and importance of Open Science, which is closely aligned with the principles of the project, the structure and relevance of data management plans, and the legal aspects of research data management.

- What next?

Orsi

- It would be essential for the system to be accessible from abroad, and to achieve this, prestigious international scientific journals would unconditionally accept data being stored here when a manuscript is submitted. There is no theoretical obstacle to this because data packages with at least one Hungarian owner can be stored freely in the data repository and accessed free of charge by anyone with the owner's permission. As an ambassador, I have undertaken to upload data from a project to develop a mouse model to study chronic fatigue syndrome, and my clinical collaborator and I plan to submit a manuscript of our joint results this summer. I hope to gain some experience with ARP for publication before my ambassadorial term ends.

Gyula

- In this repository, I would like to present data from a project in which we investigated the network-level changes in the central nervous system underlying abnormal fear generalization, which is also characteristic of post-traumatic stress disorder. The project generates a wide range of data, from behavioral test results to huge volumes of microscopic image files, to comparative analysis data. Placing the project in the repository and annotating (briefly characterizing) the experiment with metadata can thus provide insight into a more complex use of the system and help me learn how to use the platform quickly and efficiently with other packages in the future. In my opinion, ARP has the potential to be used by Hungarian researchers, including our colleagues at KOKI, on a long-term routine basis for the permanent storage and transparent sharing of their research data.

In this database, created by HUN-REN, each institution has an interface to organize and use its data according to its purposes. Levente Kontra manages our institutional interface. 

- What is the role of a data manager in the HUN-REN ARP?

Levente:

- As the institute's data administrator, I manage the ARP's institutional interface, I make sure that all groups can use the database without any problems.

I update and assign rights to the new users, and inform them how the interface works. Each research group is given its small network ("dataverse"), which the group members can use together and as they wish. For example, they can create sub-units as projects, publications, or whatever they like.

I also participate in the promotion and represent the institute at meetings.

The next big project will be the development of the Institute's regulations. We are currently working based on the draft ARP-HUNREN framework."

**The new Data Repository Platform (ARP) will help to achieve the goals set out in Hungary's Research, Development, and Innovation Strategy (2021-2030), which include the increased exploitation of research results from public research institutions and the expansion of knowledge flows and knowledge production capacity.

The new data repository service will be available to users from the beginning of March 2024.