This workshop, delivered as part of the FAIRsFAIR Certification Support Program, focused on building the capacity of repository managers preparing for CoreTrustSeal self-assessments. The session brought together representatives from ten repositories selected for targeted certification support. 

Key features included: 

• • Capacity Building: Provided tailored materials, training, and advice to enhance participants’ understanding of CTS requirements and self-assessment processes. 

• • Needs Assessment: A pre-workshop survey identified the most common challenges repositories faced during CTS self-assessment. Results were visually ranked and addressed during the session. 

• • Thematic Focus: The workshop prioritized guidance on Long-term Preservation (CTS Requirements 3 & 10) and repository/archiving workflows (Requirement 12), areas most frequently highlighted as challenging by participants. 

This support initiative was part of a broader effort to help digital repositories achieve CTS certification through targeted, evidence-based interventions and peer learning opportunities. The citation below provides the DOI for accessing the presentation slides.  

Stein, I. von ., Čepinskas, L., Huigen, F., L’Hours, H., & Rouchon, O. (2020, November 20). Certification + FAIR Support Workshop for Data Repositories – addressing common issues in CoreTrustSeal self-assessments. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4282444  

https://datascience.nih.gov/data-ecosystem/trustworthy-data-repositories-workshop  

This workshop, hosted by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) in April 2019, convened leaders from biomedical data repositories, policy experts, and NIH program staff to advance the adoption of trustworthiness standards. The event emphasized practical strategies for implementing trust principles and highlighted CoreTrustSeal (CTS) requirements as a foundational framework for repository certification. 

Key Themes & Outputs 

TRUST Principles: The workshop featured a discussion on the TRUST Principles (Transparency, Responsibility, User focus, Sustainability, Technology), which serve as guiding values for digital repositories. For further reading, see: Lin, D., Crabtree, J., Dillo, I. et al. The TRUST Principles for digital repositories. Sci Data 7, 144 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-0486-7. 

Strategic Context: Part of NIH’s broader strategy to modernize biomedical data infrastructure, supporting data sharing and transparency. 

CoreTrustSeal Introduction: Participants received an introduction to CoreTrustSeal requirements for trustworthy data management in biomedical sciences. 

Expert Perspectives: Presentations included case studies from repositories that have achieved CTS certification and insights from international experts on standard-setting and peer collaboration. 

The citation below points to a set of resources used to support a workshop held at the Figshare South Africa User Group Conference 2025 at Stellenbosch University, on 31 July 2025. It contains both a fillable PDF version of a handout used to support the workshop and a Word document version. It also contains the slides that were presented during the session. 

Figshare, Team; Muftic, Sanjin; Lockhart, Janine; Simango, Samuel; Klapwijk, Wouter; Cotera, Maria; et al. (2025). CoreTrustSeal Trustworthy Data Repositories: Working Towards Certifying Your Figshare Repository (Workshop resources). Figshare. Online resource. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29665499.v3  

In this post, Lee Hibberd, Digital Preservation Manager at the National Library of Scotland, writes about their positive experience with preparing all documentation necessary for submitting their CoreTrustSeal application for review in the summer of 2021.  

https://www.dpconline.org/blog/wdpd/lhibberd-wdpd21 

This work, presented at International Data Week (IDW) 2025, focuses on international perspectives on certification best practices and community cohorts supporting each other through the certification process.