ioChem-BD secures further funding through the OSCARS initiative

22nd January 2025 – The ioChem-BD platform has been awarded funding through a cascading grant (Financial Support for Third Parties (FSTP)) mechanism from the Open Science Cloud for Advanced Research in Science (OSCARS). This EU-funded initiative launched an open call to select third-party projects focused on developing innovative Open Science services that will drive the adoption of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data-intensive research across the European Research Area (ERA).

With a funding allocation of more than €240,000, the OSCARS grant will enable ICIQ, and specifically Prof. Bo’s research group, to expand ioChem-BD’s capabilities and reach. The funding will support the development of additional features to enhance user experience, the integration of new tools for managing diverse data formats, and the expansion of the platform’s global user base.

About ioChem-BD

ioChem-BD is a software tool designed to streamline the management, storage, and sharing of computational chemistry data. Developed at ICIQ, the platform addresses a critical need for standardisation and accessibility in data-sharing practices, enabling researchers to organise their computational outputs, metadata, and workflows more effectively.

The project has been instrumental in advancing open data initiatives, particularly in the field of quantum chemistry. It allows research teams to easily disseminate their findings and provide accessible datasets for future use.

Looking ahead, ioChem-BD aims to go beyond simply generating open data. It seeks to transform digital repositories by offering new services that accelerate chemical discoveries. The platform’s ultimate goal is to create a more attractive, user-friendly model for producing open science.

The specific objectives of the project to be achieved with the OSCARS funding are:

• Prospect about researchers’ FAIR data real needs, testing the current platform and the final state of the project.
• Develop software tools to foster user proficiencies and implement data quality control features
• Develop software tools to contribute to the adoption of FAIR data principles in the computational chemistry and materials science community

The first impact of this project will be to integrate the community’s understanding of how research data is produced, stored, and made FAIR, as well as how the project should evolve for being useful and adaptable in the future. This will improve the capacities of the project while supporting institutions that produce cutting-edge research. Secondly, users will be able to improve their capabilities towards new data-driven research thanks to the platform’s tools.

ioChem-bD has been recently acknowledged in the Inventory of Identified Trusted Repositories, as annex in the Update of the Study on the Readiness of Research Data and Literature Repositories to facilitate compliance with the Open Science requirements of the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement (MGA). This study, conducted by the European Research Council Executive Agency (ERCEA), highlights the platform’s critical contribution to promoting open science principles.

To learn more about ioChem-BD and its features, visit the official platform website, this specific project page on OSCARS’ website or at ICIQ’s website.

About the OSCARS project

OSCARS is a four-year Horizon Europe project that fosters the uptake of Open Science in Europe by consolidating the achievements of world-class European RIs in the ESFRI roadmap and beyond into lasting interdisciplinary FAIR data services and working practices across scientific disciplines and communities.

Projects selected under the OSCARS funding call are those that demonstrate exceptional potential to drive scientific progress and innovation.

For details on the OSCARS initiative, see the official website.

This project has received funding from the European Commission’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101129751