The Swedish Research Council is proposed to take on the role of coordinating Sweden’s e-infrastructure for research, including resuming responsibility for the activities currently run by the Swedish National Data Service (SND). SND welcomes the proposal and sees great potential in the opportunities it may bring.
“This is an important step in strengthening Sweden’s ability to meet the research community’s growing need for digital services, resources, and expert support,” says Eva Stensköld, Director of SND.
In early August, the Swedish Research Council (VR) published its response to the government mandate on how Sweden’s e-infrastructure for research could be coordinated and developed. The need for such e-infrastructure has been under review for almost a decade and in July 2024, the issue was raised again when the government mandated VR to propose details on how the coordination should be implemented.
In its response, VR proposes taking on responsibility for coordination in four e-infrastructure areas:
- Data networks and related services, such as Sunet’s network services.
- Accessibility, preservation, and reuse of research data, where SND already plays an established role.
- Secure solutions for managing data, including sensitive personal information.
- Resources for large-scale computing and storage, where Linköping University would assume responsibility through NAISS.
Consultation with a wide range of stakeholders
The proposal has been developed in consultation with key actors in higher education and research, government agencies, and research infrastructures. The investigator also held digital meetings with corresponding partners in other Nordic countries. The aim of this proposal is to create a more cohesive organization of Sweden's e-infrastructure for research.
In its proposal, VR notes that today’s research infrastructure is fragmented across several actors with different areas of responsibility, which makes strategic development and coordination more difficult. By concentrating responsibility to the Swedish Research Council, conditions are created for a more long-term and coordinated development, in line with the government’s goal of open access to research data by 2026.
“This proposal can be seen as a pragmatic way of addressing an area that has long been characterised by fragmentation. The fact that Sweden is now given a real chance to achieve effective coordination, even at the eleventh hour, is important for several reasons – it gives us better opportunities to meet the government’s objectives, to take part more easily in international research collaborations such as EOSC, and to keep pace with other countries in the development of AI and digitalization,” says Eva Stensköld.
VR proposed to take over SND
The Swedish Research Council is proposed to assume responsibility for the activities currently managed by SND, such as promoting the use of research data in line with the FAIR principles.
“The proposal for VR to take over SND’s activities includes our tools and services, as well as SND’s well-functioning network of higher education institutions and research-performing authorities. The report also stresses that SND’s staff should continue to be based in Gothenburg,” adds Eva Stensköld.
What does the Swedish Research Council’s response to the government mandate mean in practice?
- The Swedish Research Council is given a coordinating role for e-infrastructure for research at a national level.
- Clearer division of responsibilities between actors such as Sunet, NAISS, SND, and other infrastructures.
- Strengthened strategic governance and improved opportunities for long-term planning.
- A new funding model, enabling research projects and higher education institutions to select from a range of services.
- Increased interoperability and international compatibility, particularly within EOSC and AI-related research.
SND looks forward to contributing to the continued work of developing and implementing the proposals.
“We are ready to take on our share of the responsibility and look forward to collaborating with the Swedish Research Council and other stakeholders to build a strong and coordinated e-infrastructure for research in Sweden,” says Eva Stensköld.
Government decision pending
The Swedish Research Council submitted its report to the government in mid-June. The next step is for the responsible ministry, the Ministry of Education and Research, to begin reviewing the proposal. The ministry will then return with one or more specific mandates. These will also be coordinated with other relevant ministries to ensure a broad consensus on the chosen direction.
“At this point, it’s simply a matter of waiting for the government’s decision. With some luck, it might be included in the agencies’ appropriation directions for next year. However, it is important that the process does not drag on, and that we receive clear guidance on the next steps fairly soon,” says Eva Stensköld.
Link to the report from the Swedish Research Council: Ökad samordning och organisatorisk förändring av e-infrastruktur för forskning (PDF). (Note that the report is in Swedish only.)