Scientific data storage and access issues to be probed at scientific forum

Ottawa, ON – August 23, 2004 – The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) will be holding a forum for the National Consultation on Access to Scientific Research Data (NCASRD) on November 22-23, 2004.

During this two-day forum, participants will consider ways to help Canada maximize the value received from its publicly funded natural and medical sciences, and engineering research. The challenge will be to recommend an appropriate framework and guidelines that will in turn facilitate open and long-term access to data coming from that research.

“With growing pressures around the preservation and archiving of scientific and technical research data, this forum comes at an opportune time,” said Michael Raymont, NRC acting president and vice-president, technology and industry support. “I look forward to seeing the findings of the forum, which will contribute toward providing access to and safeguarding potentially significant collections of data for future generations.”

The forum is being organized by the NCASRD Task Force, which is chaired by Dr David Strong, a distinguished scientist, former president of the University of Victoria, and currently a member of the governing council of the NRC. The forum participants will include a group of invited Canadian researchers in science, engineering and health. They will contribute to a report to be submitted to federal granting agencies, partners in the initiative, and the Government of Canada.

The NCASRD is a partnership initiative of the NRC, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and Science and Engineering Research Canada.