Persistent Identifiers (PIDs) and their infrastructures are argued to be of significant strategic importance, o the increasingly digital reality of modern-day research. With this in mind, Knowledge Exchange (KE) intends to investigate PIDs in depth, aiming to better understand what is needed to build and exploit a well-functioning PID infrastructure for research. Our ambition is to identify, through investigation, analysis and recommendations, what could be the best possible strategic and operational paths to achieve a well-functioning PID infrastructure for Knowledge Exchange (KE) member states and beyond.
The main results of these surveys and analyses are:
- Openness is critical for a sustainable and trustworthy PID infrastructure, this relates to data, documentation but also communication on risks.
- Globally, political and social risks are perceived as more important than technological failure.
- Sustainability is considered as a key factor of trust, while the term covers not only economical (funding, business model) but also political (strategy, governance) and social aspects (community support, acceptance).
- Coordination is crucial and more important than the selection of “good PIDs”.
