About | RDA

"The Research Data Alliance (RDA) builds the social and technical bridges that enable open sharing of data. The RDA vision is researchers and innovators openly sharing data across technologies, disciplines, and countries to address the grand challenges of society. The current global research data landscape is highly fragmented, by disciplines or by domains, from oceanography, life sciences and health, to agriculture, space and climate. When it comes to cross-disciplinary activities, the notions of 'building blocks' of common data infrastructures and building specific 'data bridges' are becoming accepted metaphors for approaching the data complexity and enable data sharing. The Research Data Alliance enables data to be shared across barriers through focused Working Groups and Interest Groups, formed of experts from around the world – from academia, industry and government. Participation in RDA is open to anyone who agrees to its guiding principles of openness, consensus, balance, harmonisation, community driven and non-profit approach. It was started in 2013 by a core group of interested agencies – the European Commission, the US National Science Foundation and National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Australian Government’s Department of Innovation. Other agencies, countries, companies, associations and institutes are due to join. RDA also has a broad, committed membership of individuals – now 1300+ from 55 countries since RDA was launched in March 2013 - dedicated to improving data exchange ..."