Introduction

The FAIR Principles provide(s) guidelines for practices of data management supporting better reusability of research data. The acronym FAIR stands for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Each letter refers to a key criterion that enables reusability. Each is linked to one or more of the 15 principles, which specify in greater detail the measures by which data FAIRness can be achieved, ensuring that research data are interpretable and openly accessible for both humans and machines.

The FAIR Principles were first published in 2016. Although they were originally developed in the life sciences, they are also intended for use in other research disciplines. Within a short period, the Principles were widely received and implemented. They form an important foundation for data services, discipline-specific guidelines, and research infrastructures. Funding programmes of the European Union, as well as funding institutions such as the German Research Foundation (DFG) and numerous universities, have incorporated the FAIR Principles into their respective guidelines and funding policies. They are a fundamental part of good scientific practice and have been firmly embedded in long-term EU projects such as the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). The establishment of the FAIR Principles in overarching self-commitments, funding programmes, and infrastructure projects has had a tremendous impact. A number of initiatives, institutions, and projects associated with the EOSC support the establishment of FAIR research data management at various levels. Particularly noteworthy are the Research Data Alliance (RDA), the GO FAIR Initiative, FAIRsFAIR, FAIRsharing, FAIR-IMPACT, and, as a German initiative, the Nationale Forschungsdateninfrastruktur (National Research Data Infrastructure, NFDI). As a result, in recent years the FAIR Principles have become the defining guideline for sustainable research data management. Stakeholders have responded to a critical situation in which the lack of standards, unresolved legal questions, uncertainties regarding implementation, and competitive concerns are obstructing comprehensive and easy access to data. The FAIR Principles offer a range of solutions to fully realise the enormous potential in the field of connected research data infrastructures.