This talk details a transformative two-year initiative led by the University of Galway, a key player of the National Open Research Forum (NORF) National Open Research Action Plan. Focused on aligning Ireland's open repositories with international best practices, the project adopts a sustainable, community-centric approach. With the aim of transitioning from a fragmented to a cohesive repository approach, the project emphasises collaboration and integration, both nationally and internationally. Findings underscore the critical need for metadata alignment to support ambitious open research goals. The survey reveals a fragmented landscape, necessitating comprehensive national cooperation and coordination. Challenges include disparities in staffing, resource allocation, and reliance on external hosting providers, highlighting the urgent need for dedicated personnel and robust resource management. The talk outlines recommendations, advocating for collaborative initiatives, training, metadata standardisation, and national alignment. It highlights the importance of shared infrastructure, technical support, and advocacy to address challenges and enhance open repository networks in Ireland. As the project progresses into its next phase, it stands as a compelling case study for networks aspiring to strengthen their open repository landscape guided by international best practices. We show a data-driven exploration of Ireland's journey, contributing significantly to the global advancement of open repositories.

This presentation will describe a digitization partnership between the San Diego State University (SDSU) Library, the SDSU Center for Regional Sustainability, and the Archivo Histórico de Tijuana, housed within the Instituto Municipal de Arte y Cultura (IMAC). The collaboration addresses IMAC’s desire to make their diverse and unique holdings more accessible online to the public and SDSU’s desire to increase access to these unique holdings while respecting the needs and autonomy of the Archivo. Their unique and important holdings include photographs and papers documenting history and evolution of the US-Mexico border region. This presentation will also address the challenges and opportunities associated with an international collaboration, including the administrative issues such as contracting and paying for work in another country, the human issues of working respectfully in the archives of a foreign city, securing funding for international projects, creating and displaying metadata in multiple languages, and developing our digital repository based on the open source software Archipelago. The presentation will include the perspectives of both the Tijuana team and the SDSU team and outline our plans and hopes for sustaining the partnership and encouraging community engagement. The presentation will showcase the online Tijuana collections and invite feedback.

While universities provide diverse data management options, researchers often face post-project challenges in maintaining, accessing, and securing data within non-customized infrastructures.

PHAIDRA, an open-source platform originating from the University of Vienna addresses long-term preservation needs across disciplines. PHAIDRA’s key strength lies in bridging the cultural gap among researchers, IT departments, and librarians, who often have different perspectives on long-term availability of data. Thus fostering a sustainable ecosystem.

The presentation will showcase PHAIDRA's user-centric design, use of discipline-spanning standards, and API integration for enhanced accessibility. As a testament to open-source principles, PHAIDRA actively engages its community, ensuring continuous improvement aligned with the FAIR Data principles.

Exploring PHAIDRA's alignment with UN SDGs, particularly SDG 9 and 17, the presentation will highlight its commitment to industry, innovation, and infrastructure, showcasing how the platform exemplifies advancements in data fairness, open research, and responsible technology use. The presentation will furthermore reflect on the project's 15-year journey, emphasizing collective efforts for the enduring impact of open-source initiatives in the dynamic field of research data management.