On 24 November, the Senate of Vilnius University approved an updated version of the Vilnius University Guidelines for the Management of Research Data (hereinafter referred to as the “Guidelines”). The main changes introduced by the new version are as follows:
- Adoption of FAIR principles. It is established that research data shall be processed in line with the FAIR data principles. This echoes the support for the FAIR principles declared in Vilnius University Open Science Policy Guidelines. To facilitate the implementation of the FAIR principles, the new version establishes that publicly available research data shall be published with open licences, and its metadata—with a Public Domain Mark or under equivalent conditions. Furthermore, it is established that publicly available research data shall be published with detailed metadata; a recommended list of metadata to accompany publicly available research data is also provided.
- Expanded repository options. While the previous version required research data to be deposited in the National Open Access Research Data Archive (MIDAS), the updated version allows data to be published in other repositories, provided they:
o apply technical and organisational measures to ensure the security, integrity, authenticity, and long-term retention of the published research data;
o enable providing access to research data with an open licence and adhering to applicable legal and ethical restrictions;
o allow metadata and other information necessary to be able to reuse such data to be provided alongside research data.
It is also clarified that the decision on the volume and composition of research data to be deposited shall be made by its author(s), taking into account the nature of the data and the applicable legal and ethical factors.
- Data retention period. It is established that research data, in the composition and volume that its author(s) deem to have long-term value to research or the public, shall be retained for no less than 10 years after the completion of the research. This provision has been carried over from Vilnius University Open Science Policy Guidelines.
- Open metadata requirement. In line with national regulations, it is established that the metadata of datasets deposited in a repository shall be open and remain accessible after the data have been destroyed.
You can find the full text of the new Guidelines here.
If you have any questions regarding the provisions of the Guidelines or need consultation on research data management or open science implementation, we invite you to use the VU Library Open Science Consultation Portal.
Dr Gintė Medzvieckaitė
2025-12-09