Self-evaluation Photon and Neutron RIs for FAIR data certification

This ExPaNDS project deliverable describes a FAIR self-assessment undertaken by the ten
ExPaNDS partner Photon and Neutron Research Infrastructures (PaN RIs) over the
three-month period July – September 2022. After reviewing selected examples of existing
FAIR evaluation frameworks designed to enable assessment at different levels (dataset,
repository, and organisation), the report describes the evaluation approach adopted for the
ExPaNDS FAIR self-assessment. As no existing framework met our specific need to focus
on FAIR workflows and processes in PaN RIs, it was necessary to select, combine, and
adapt existing frameworks. Supported by four underlying guiding principles, our approach
drew heavily on the FAIR Principles, the RDA FAIR Data Maturity Model, and FAIRsFAIR’s
CoreTrustSeal+FAIRenabling framework. Post-evaluation feedback from ExPaNDS partners
indicated that they found the FAIR self-assessment a useful and valuable exercise for
understanding current levels of FAIRness at their facilities and for articulating what
implementations they have in progress or planned to support FAIR in future. A key output of
the ExPaNDS FAIR evaluation is the collected self-assessment reports from the ten partner
facilities. These reports are published openly and in full as part of the deliverable. In addition,
the self-assessments are supplemented with some high-level observations on the state of
the FAIR journey across the ExPaNDS facilities.