Dutch Data Prize 2024 win: Recognition for FAIR Data at GGP
The Generations and Gender Programme (GGP) is an international research infrastructure focusing on population and family dynamics. Olga Grunwald and Anne Gauthier won the Dutch Data Prize 2024 in the category of Social Sciences & Humanities.
The dataset Established in 2000 and based at the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) since 2009, Generations and Gender Survey provides high-quality, internationally comparable data to address scientific and societal challenges related to demographic changes. Its datasets, such as the Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) and the Fertility and Family Surveys (FFS), include insights from over 300,000 individuals across 30+ countries over 30 years. “Our mission is to answer critical societal questions, such as why fertility rates are low and how intergenerational solidarity works,” the team explains.
FAIR principles – findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable – are at the heart of GGP’s work. “We ensure that our microdata is accessible and user-friendly, available in multiple formats such as SPSS, STATA, and CSV,” a team member elaborates. Metadata is structured according to the DDI-Lifecycle 3 standard and freely accessible through the Colectica portal. The team is also working on assigning DOIs to their datasets, making them permanently identifiable and easily citable. “Our motto is: as open as possible, as closed as necessary, given the sensitivity of the data,” they emphasise.
Learned from limitations
FAIR data offers immense value, both for current and future researchers. The team has learned from the limitations of older datasets, such as the FFS from the 1990s, which were developed before FAIR principles were widely adopted. “That experience has shown us the importance of sustainable data documentation. FAIR principles support transparency and trust, and make reuse much simpler,” the team notes.
Winning the Dutch Data Prize means a great deal to GGP. “This recognition reassures us that we’re on the right path and motivates us to continue advancing open science,” the researchers say. The prize money may be used to organise a hackathon to improve interoperability or to make older datasets, such as the FFS, more FAIR.
The response to the award has been overwhelmingly positive. “Colleagues and collaborators, both in the Netherlands and internationally, see this as a recognition of our efforts,” the team states. They encourage other researchers to apply for the prize: “This award highlights the value of good data management practices, both for science and for society.”
