Oxford Leads in Shaping FAIR Evaluation and Guidance for Institutional Repositories

The application of the FAIR Principles to digital research objects is endorsed by funders and publishers worldwide. Within the University of Oxford, this commitment is reflected in its approach to meeting the expectations of bodies like UKRI, UKRIO, and DSIT, which increasingly mandate FAIR compliance to ensure a modernized, AI-ready research landscape. However, as highlighted by recent EOSC reporting, verifying claims of "FAIRness" remains a challenge due to a fragmented landscape of opaque, tool-specific assessment methods. To address this, Oxford is leading the way in creating transparent, community-governed solutions. By leveraging the combined expertise of FAIRsharing and the Oxford Research Archive (ORA), the University has developed a common FAIR compliance process specifically for generalist institutional repositories. This collaboration shifts the focus from retrospective "assessment" to "assistance," providing researchers with the guidance they need at the point of deposit to ensure their work is truly Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.

Using the OSTrails Assess IF, FAIRsharing and ORA have recently completed development of the narrative components (https://dx.doi.org/10.5287/ora-o0zdzakr9) of the Institutional Repository Benchmark. They are currently developing the technical components required to run FAIR evaluations over ORA datasets. Initiated under the Oxford Research Practice Programme, these components provide a transparent, "FAIR-by-design" framework for providing tailored FAIR guidance to depositors. By defining what FAIR looks like in an institutional context, Oxford is developing a resource that is currently being adopted and refined by the UKRN Open Research Programme (UKRN ORP) and beyond. 

Oxford is at the forefront of an evolving FAIR evaluation ecosystem responsive to the needs of the communities it serves.

By bringing together the conceptual work of OSTrails, the curated knowledge base and service provision of FAIRsharing, and the practical implementation within ORA, this effort reflects a broader commitment to developing approaches that are transparent and adaptable. This partnership, now a collaboration with UKRN and beyond, supports communities in defining and operationalising FAIR in ways that are meaningful within their own contexts.