On 12 March 2025, OSTrails hosted a series of high-impact hackathons in Athens, held just prior to its General Assembly. These full-day events convened developers and domain experts from across scientific clusters and research infrastructure communities to collaboratively advance Data Management Planning (DMP) Platforms, Scientific Knowledge Graphs (SKG), and FAIR Assessment Tools, that are vital for effective research data management and sharing.

The hackathon brought together experts and service providers from well-established research data management platforms, both within the consortium and beyond, to build on the Plan-Track-Assess (PTA) Framework (the Reference Architecture and Pathways presented in project deliverable D1.4 and D1.1), and test key components in practice.

DMP-IF Hackathon: Laying the Groundwork for a Common maDMP API 

The DMP Hackathon gathered developers and service providers, including  platform providers from the consortium and several from outside Europe. The event focused on advancing machine-actionable Data Management Plans (maDMPs) by fostering collaboration around two key objectives: 1) Maintaining the Research Data Alliance DMP Common Standard (RDA DMP CS), 2) Initiating work on a Common maDMP API specification. 

As outlined in the OSTrails Architecture, the DMP-IF aims to meet funder and community needs by extending the RDA DMP CS data model, while enabling real-time communication between systems through the introduction of a new Application Profile Interfaces (APIs). The discussions centred around improving date handling, identifier usage, and specification governance—resulting in concrete proposals to be submitted to the RDA Working Group for inclusion in the standard. In parallel, participants reviewed existing APIs and user requirements, drafted a shared API design for maDMPs, and agreed to continue development through close collaboration within the newly established RDA group.

Developers exchanging ideas at the DMP IF Hackathon

SKG-IF Hackathon: Advancing Interoperability for Scientific Knowledge Graphs 

The SKG-IF Hackathon brought together providers of SKG services and infrastructure onboarded in OSTrails to advance interoperability through hands-on experimentation with the SKG-IF OpenAPI specification and metadata model. The session focused on mapping institutional data to the SKG-IF model and exploring its capacity to accommodate diverse research outputs.

Building on the RDA SKG-IF core data model, OSTrails aims to enhance the framework with a flexible extension mechanism to support domain-specific entities—such as instruments and provenance information, while supporting seamless discovery and integration of graph data with the introduction of a new API. The hackathon focused on validating the SKG-IF model through real-world data mapping and collected detailed feedback via the GitHub issue tracker. Major discussion topics were:  1) Gaps in the SKG-IF data model, such as missing fields, insufficient documentation, and the need for greater extensibility; 2) Issues in the OpenAPI specification, including unclear documentation and undefined field requirements.

The model’s scope was also extended to support a broader range of research products by introducing new product types aligned with community needs: literature, research data, and research software. Hackathon contributions were fed directly into the roadmap of the RDA SKG-IF Working Group, supporting the finalisation of the specification. 

 Hands-on collaboration during the SKG-IF Hackathon

FAIR-IF Hackathon: Making FAIR Assessments More Interoperable 

Running in parallel, the FAIR-IF Hackathon brought together developers from various FAIR-related tools, including those onboarded in the project as well as several external platforms. The focus was on aligning assessment services and harmonising API formats to improve interoperability across FAIR tools.

In the first part of the hackathon, participants discussed how key components of the FAIR-IF, such as benchmarks, could help ensure consistent outcomes with minimal or no manual curation. They also emphasised the need to harmonise APIs through standards such as OpenAPI and highlighted transparency and record provenance as essential for trust and reproducibility.

The second part of the hackathon was hands-on, building on the earlier discussions. It focused on API functionality and tool alignment, showing that the proposed common API structure provided a solid foundation for implementation, integration, and mapping across existing tools—advancing interoperability within the FAIR-IF ecosystem.

Insights from the FAIR-IF Hackathon

Looking Ahead 

These hackathons not only advanced technical developments but also reaffirmed OSTrails' commitment to open collaboration across diverse research domains and settings. By bringing together experts from across Europe and beyond, OSTrails is setting the stage for truly interoperable research infrastructures.

Learn more about the OSTrails Architecture and Interoperability Frameworks by exploring our blog, reading the documentation, and watching the Interoperability Webinar Series

Stay tuned for upcoming events and learn more about future OSTrails hackathons by visiting our page: OSTrails Hackathons.

-Written by Tassos Stavropoulos (OpenAIRE)

On 15 April 2024, OSTrails hosted its first public webinar, bringing together over 100 participants from across the research community. The session introduced the project’s goals, early results, and ways to get involved in shaping how research planning, tracking, and assessment can be improved.

"This first webinar was an important milestone for us. After months of work, we were finally able to share early results and open the door for others to get involved."
— Elli Papadopoulou, Athena Research Center / OSTrails Deputy Coordinator

Plan-Track-Assess (PTA) Framework: Addressing the Silos in Research Data Management

Research today relies on many separate systems. The same information is often re-entered in different tools, and outputs are difficult to follow or assess. OSTrails addresses these issues by connecting workflows, reducing duplication, and supporting reuse and visibility of research outputs.

The project builds a unified framework that:

• Assists researchers in reducing repetitive tasks and improving data management.
• Supports institutions in ensuring compliance and facilitating data reuse.
• Enables funders and policymakers to obtain consistent and reliable metrics on FAIR and Open Science practices.

Elli Papadopoulou presenting the OSTrails toolkit.

Two Pilots, One Message: This Works!

Two pilot initiatives were featured during the webinar to show what the PTA Framework looks like when in action for different organisations:

• In the Dutch National Pilot, led by CWTS and SURF, institutions are working with dynamic Data Management Plans (DMPs) embedded in their systems, cutting repetition and improving coordination across teams. The pilot highlights the Netherlands’ diverse and decentralised research data management (RDM) landscape, and the need for machine-actionable (ma)DMP tooling that meets both broad Open Science goals and basic local administrative needs. The pilot focuses on aligning stakeholder interests at national and institutional levels—supporting researchers with domain-specific templates and administrators with integrated workflows that include RDM, privacy, and ethics reviews. It also explores different technical pathways to publish and connect maDMPs with other research outputs, including the use of Research Activity Identifiers (RAiDs) and links to local repositories or Zenodo.

Andrew Hoffman (CWTS) showcasing the Dutch National Pilot.

• In Photon and Neutron Science, researchers at ESRF are combining DMPs, metadata services, and FAIR assessment tools to better describe and evaluate their datasets.

Assessing and sharing datasets from ESFRIs using the PTA Framework, as presented by Renaud Duyme.

Those are only two examples of the twenty-four use cases through which OSTrails is testing and adapting the PTA Framework to streamline and automate processes.

From Design to Adoption: Supporting the People Who Make It Happen

The webinar also launched the OSTrails Mentorship Programme, which provides support for those already working on improving research workflows by helping them apply OSTrails tools in practice: IT staff, research support professionals, and policy officers.

Insights into the OSTrails training roadmap by Pedro Principe (UMinho).

Community Discussions

The discussion during the webinar showed strong interest in the work OSTrails is doing. Participants highlighted shared challenges like scattered tools, manual processes, and inconsistent planning, and welcomed the focus on making systems work better together. The event opened space for future collaboration and real-world application.

There were also many questions about how to get involved, especially through the OSTrails Mentorship Programme. The team shared resources on training opportunities, the mentorship call for mentees, and other upcoming events. As one participant put it:

“This is a great initiative—thank you for this mentoring programme.”

Check out the full webinar here.

Today’s research depends on a wide variety of digital tools and platforms. However, these systems frequently operate in isolation. Researchers repeatedly enter the same information across systems. Support staff find it difficult to connect research outputs across different systems. Infrastructure teams must manage complex integrations. Funders and policymakers, meanwhile, are left without consistent or reliable insights.

The OSTrails Interoperability Reference Architecture has been designed to address these challenges. It provides a flexible, standards-based blueprint that enables research tools and services to communicate and work together in a connected, interoperable ecosystem. In doing so, it supports more efficient workflows, improves transparency, and strengthens the connections between systems across the research lifecycle.

Key Takeaways

• Connects research tools through a flexible, standards-based architecture

• Built on the PTA Framework for interoperability across the research lifecycle

• Integrates three core components: DMP-IF, SKG-IF, and FAIR-IF

• Supports researchers, support staff, developers, infrastructure teams, and funders

• Ready for real-world testing, with updates guided by pilot results and community feedback

A Blueprint for Connecting Research Tools 

The Reference Architecture is not a new tool. Instead, it is a shared framework that defines how existing platforms involved in research data management, such as Data Management Planning (DMP) platforms, Scholarly/ Scientific Knowledge Graphs (SKG), and FAIR assessment tools, can interact using common standards and APIs. Rather than enforcing a one-size-fits-all solution, the architecture supports adaptation to local contexts while maintaining interoperability across the wider Open Science ecosystem.

Why It Matters for the Research Community

The OSTrails Architecture focuses on solving practical challenges researchers and institutions face every day.

• Researchers can focus on their scientific work rather than administrative overhead. Tasks such as updating Data Management Plans, linking research outputs, or checking FAIRness can occur automatically in the background.

• Support staff and librarians are better equipped to provide integrated, end-to-end services that reduce duplication of effort and improve data stewardship across projects and departments.

• Developers and infrastructure teams benefit from a shared reference model for building and maintaining tools that use common standards and APIs, making integration more efficient and sustainable.

• Funders and policy makers gain access to more consistent, interconnected data on research outputs, supporting improved monitoring of FAIR compliance and Open Science adoption at scale.

What’s Inside the Architecture?

The architecture builds on the OSTrails Pathways, blueprints that map how services like DMP platforms, SKGs, and FAIR assessment tools interact across the research lifecycle, and provides a practical model for aligning research systems with Open Science principles, focused on usability, automation, and real-world adoption.

At its core, the architecture introduces three dedicated interoperability frameworks (IFs), DMP-IF, SKG-IF, and FAIR-IF. Each framework has been developed using established community standards, while ensuring they remain adaptable to the evolving needs of researchers, institutions, and service providers. 

• DMP-IF: Supports dynamic, machine-actionable (ma) DMPs by enabling real-time updates via shared APIs. For example, when a dataset is published, the system can automatically update the relevant DMP. It builds on the RDA DMP Common Standard, enriched with an application profile tailored to funder and community needs.

• SKG-IF: Facilitates consistent, structured metadata exchange through Scientific Knowledge Graphs. It extends the RDA SKG-IF Core Data Model with mechanisms to handle domain-specific entities like instruments and provenance. A dedicated API supports rich querying, semantic filtering, and relationship-based discovery of research outputs.

• FAIR-IF: Brings alignment and transparency to FAIR assessments by standardising how test results are described and shared. Built on DCAT and DQV standards, it introduces a common output model and API structure, enabling tools to compare results and integrate assessment data into other workflows.

OSTrails Reference Architecture and the Three Interoperability Frameworks: Orange: Elements covered by DMP-IF; Blue: Elements covered by SKG-IF; Green: Elements covered by FAIR-IF; Grey: Relevant elements not covered by OSTrails IFs (may follow existing or external standards).

How Does It Work in Practice?

Consider a researcher uploading a dataset to an open-access repository. With the OSTrails architecture in place:

Diagram depicting interaction between components used in the example.

• A FAIR assessment tool automatically evaluates the dataset’s metadata and returns actionable feedback (via FAIR-IF).

• The repository links the dataset to related publications or projects using a Scientific Knowledge Graph (via SKG-IF).

• The dataset metadata, such as its DOI, location, and licence, is automatically recorded in the project’s Data Management Plan (via DMP-IF).

Diagram depicting communication between components used in the example.

All of this occurs without additional manual steps, offering a streamlined, interconnected user experience.

What Stage Is It At?

The Reference Architecture is now established and ready for real-world application. It is currently being tested and refined through OSTrails pilot cases, hackathons, and collaborations with Research Data Alliance (RDA) and EOSC Working Groups. Community feedback and practical implementation will inform iterative updates, with new versions planned for release in early and late 2026.

For the research community, this represents a critical step toward infrastructure that is no longer fragmented, but connected by design, an ecosystem where systems speak the same language, and Open Science becomes a natural part of everyday research.

Read the full architecture deliverable!

Visit the official OSTrails documentation hub!

Watch OSTrails webinars on interoperability!

At IDCC 2025, OSTrails  presented its first-year results toward transforming research ecosystems into seamless, automated, and fully FAIR environments, highlighting thePlan-Track-Assess Framework, which links Data Management Plans (DMPs), Scientific Knowledge Graphs (SKGs), and FAIR assessment tools. Together, these components demonstrate how interconnected infrastructures can significantly enhance efficiency, transparency, and reusability throughout the research lifecycle.

 Key takeaways from the event 

• OSTrails addresses a clear gap in Open Science infrastructure by enabling machine-actionable and interoperable data management. 

• The Plan–Track–Assess Framework was well received for its practical integration of DMPs, knowledge graphs, and FAIR assessment tools. 

• Feedback highlighted the need to align with institutional workflows and CRIS systems without adding burden to researchers. 

• OSTrails’ enhanced DMP platforms, such as DAMAP, reflect the project’s progress through real-world pilots and integration efforts.

The conference served as a strategic platform for OSTrails to validate and disseminate its core architecture, tools, and methodologies. Presented by TUWIEN partner Andrés Tabima, the OSTrails poster highlighted the Plan–Track–Assess Framework and OSTrails’ integrated approach to machine-actionable DMPs, scientific knowledge graphs, and FAIR assessment tools—demonstrating how the project supports data stewardship aligned with FAIR principles and international standards such as EOSC and RDA. A second poster on DAMAP, one of the enhanced DMP platforms within the OSTrails framework, provided a concrete example of implementation in practice. Together, these contributions showcased how OSTrails’ vision is being realised through technical development, service integration, and collaboration with 25 pilot initiatives across 17 countries and 5 EOSC Science Clusters.

The poster attracted strong interest, especially from researchers and data stewards exploring scalable solutions for interoperability and automation. Discussions focused on linking DMPs with institutional workflows and CRIS systems. The feedback received is now informing the refinement of OSTrails’ technical framework, ensuring continued alignment with real-world needs and community practices.

Conclusions derived from attending the event

The IDCC 2025 experience reaffirmed OSTrails’ strategic positioning in the Open Science landscape. The validation of the Architecture and Interoperability Framework, along with strong interest in the Commons concept and pilot outcomes, underscored the need for ongoing coordination with EOSC and global data initiatives. Feedback gathered will inform refinements to the project’s tools and implementation pathways, reinforcing its role in shaping future-ready, FAIR-aligned research infrastructure.

Poster Materials

• Open Science Trails – Pathways to Improving FAIRness and Machine Actionability of Digital Artefacts 
  https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14974630

• Building a Bridge to the Future of Machine-actionable DMPs with DAMAP 
  https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14781625