The VLIZ Marine Data Centre has been awarded the internationally recognised CoreTrustSeal certification, confirming its status as a trusted repository for scientific research data. This marks an important milestone in VLIZ's longstanding commitment to preserving marine data, making it accessible and sharing it with the global research community.
International recognition for trustworthy data management
CoreTrustSeal is an internationally recognised certification for digital data repositories – organisations responsible for collecting, managing, preserving and providing access to research data. It confirms that a data centre meets international standards for trustworthy and sustainable data management.
To obtain the certification, the VLIZ Marine Data Centre underwent an independent assessment against sixteen criteria, covering areas such as data management, technical infrastructure, information security and long-term preservation.
Recognition and a commitment to continuous improvement
The external reviewers praised the VLIZ Marine Data Centre's organisational structure, expertise, technical infrastructure and security measures. They also provided recommendations for further documenting and standardising certain procedures. The certification therefore represents both recognition of the centre's achievements and an incentive for continuous improvement.
"This international recognition reinforces the confidence that researchers and partners, both in Belgium and internationally, can place in our data centre. It acknowledges the dedication of our entire team and motivates us to continue investing in the sustainable management and accessibility of marine research data." – Lennert Tyberghein, Director Science Support at VLIZ.
With this certification, VLIZ reaffirms its commitment to Open Data and the FAIR principles, ensuring that research data are Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. In doing so, VLIZ helps ensure that valuable marine data continue to support scientific research, policymaking and innovation for years to come.
More information: CoreTrustSeal | Certification documentation VLIZ Marine Data Centre
