Conference Agenda

This presentation outlines the latest update to the CoreTrustSeal certification requirements (v04.00), which will guide repository certification from 2026 to 2028. Reflecting extensive community consultation, the update introduces minimal but meaningful revisions to maintain stability while emphasizing active preservation as a core feature of trustworthy repositories. Attendees will learn about the update process, key changes, and how to stay involved as CoreTrustSeal evolves to meet the future of trustworthy data stewardship.

Transparent Trustworthy Repository Attributes Matrix (TTRAM) supports the identification of a common understanding of repositories capabilities and needs for the FIDELIS and EDEN projects and the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). This talk examines the next steps for the Matrix in seeking to reach consensus on the characteristics of Trustworthy Digital Repositories (TDR) in terms of trust in context, types and categories, and their implications for transparency across digital objects and organisational entities (transparent objects/entities): tic-tac-toe.

This abstract outlines the development of services for the long-term preservation of sensitive research data. Initially, the institution’s infrastructure was not equipped to handle high-risk datasets, prompting a comprehensive effort to enhance both technical and procedural capabilities. The work focused on five key areas: reviewing legal and ethical requirements, strengthening a multidisciplinary expert network, enhancing internal competencies, refining user workflows, and upgrading technical platforms. Collaboration with legal, IT, and data protection professionals was essential, as was hands-on engagement with researchers to assess real datasets. Notably, the team introduced structured protocols such as Data Access Protocols and Data Protection Impact Assessments to ensure compliance and accountability. Despite challenges—particularly in defining responsibilities and balancing security with usability—the strong demand from researchers proved a powerful driver. This initiative aligns with themes of sensitive data curation, tool development, and community building, offering a practical model for institutions seeking to support secure, sustainable research data preservation.

In 2023, four Flemish universities (Ghent University, Hasselt University, University of Antwerp, and Vrije Universiteit Brussel) initiated the FAIRVault project to provide researchers with a secure solution for preserving and providing (controlled) access to research data. It especially targets cases where external repositories are less suitable, such as for sensitive or large datasets, ensuring proper data retention and security.

Drawing on Artefactual’s conceptual model for digital preservation systems, this talk focuses on the importance of Information Packages preserved by an Open Archival Information System (OAIS). In software design, there are core design principles for digital preservation systems that, taken together, represent the best chance to ensure data can persist over time and space. This talk will focus on one principle: the AIP must be the system’s primary concern as the source of truth.