The Coalition's Charter

Preamble

The FAIR principles ¨C Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable ¨C provide a flexible framework for managing research data, code, metadata, digital images and other digital research assets in support of open science. Rather than imposing a rigid standard, they serve as adaptable guidelines to improve sustainability, transparency, and reuse of digital research assets.

ETH Zurich has laid the groundwork towards implementing these principles. Since 2022, its research data governance framework has promoted FAIR practices and encouraged open access to data and code where feasible.

The FAIR Coalition invites researchers to lead and collaborate in advancing these efforts. As emerging technologies such as AI reshape the research landscape, ensuring data quality, reliability, security, and ethical use become increasingly critical.

This Charter defines a shared commitment to FAIR. Commissioned by the Vice Presidents for Research and for Infrastructure & Sustainability and endorsed by the ETH FAIR Board, it sets out core values and decision-making principles. Signatories pledge to uphold the four commitments outlined below.

Commitments

As signatories of the FAIR Coalition Charter, we commit to the following:

1. We will make FAIR the default for our digital research assets.

• We use the FAIR principles to guide how we handle of research data, code, metadata, and other digital research assets.
• We implement FAIR principles with due diligence and in compliance with legal, ethical, and institutional requirements.
• We foster a research culture that values FAIR principles and allocate the time and resources necessary for their implementation.

2. We will use services, infrastructures, and policies that support FAIR.

• For processing digital research assets, we rely on infrastructure, support services, and guidelines that align with the FAIR principles.
• Where no certification exists, we assess whether services, infrastructure, or usage specifications meet minimum FAIR-aligned requirements.

3. We will support sustainable community building and data governance as foundations of scientific excellence.

• We apply the FAIR principles with the understanding that research must be reproducible and its integrity verifiable.
• We recognise that community building, training, and the evolution of research practices are as vital as technical infrastructure.
• We adopt international standards and contribute to the interoperability and federation of infrastructure, notably the European framework, while also engaging globally across our scientific domains.

4. We will actively support the collective transition to FAIR at ETH Zurich.

• We recognise the importance of sharing expertise and coordinating efforts to enable institution-wide adoption of FAIR principles.
• To this end, we commit to the FAIR Coalition and collaborate with related initiatives and organisations within ETH Zurich and beyond.

References

Guidelines for Research Data Management at ETH Zurich (RDM Guidelines). Adopted by the ETH Executive Board on 1 July 2022.¡± RSETHZ 414.2. ETH Zurich.