Open science infrastructures speak about sustainability challenges

Many open science infrastructures were initially developed using one-off project funds. Since inception, usage has often grown exponentially, and researchers across the globe have come to depend on them. What options do these infrastructures have when the projects funds run out and when infrastructure ages and needs replacing? What happens when demand exceeds the capacity of infrastructure to meet the needs of researchers? How do infrastructures handle the need for new governance and growing staffing structures to provide oversight, undertake development and provide services? What does it really mean to build sustainable infrastructure? In this panel session, three leaders of important international open science infrastructures from the SCOSS family (Global Sustainability Coalition for Open Science Services) reflect on their mission, experiences and challenges with operating and sustaining their services. Each will tell¬¬ their story about establishing, sustaining and scaling their business, finances and infrastructure to provide no cost and open access to data and services which meet the emerging and continuing needs of a geographically dispersed and research discipline diverse researchers. Each infrastructure will reflect on how they apply sustainability principles of the Principles of Open Scholarly Infrastructure – manage time limited project funds; generate a surplus beyond operating costs; develop a contingency fund; develop mission critical revenue; and be based on service provision and not data availability. Each organisation will comment on the role of researchers, research organisations and their libraries and governments in building and maintaining sustainable open infrastructures. Questions will be taken from the audience and the panel chair will moderate a lively discussion. In summary, whilst gaining a better understanding of what it takes to maintain an open infrastructure, audience members are asked to consider how best to fund the open science infrastructures they use (whether directly or via ...