DANS Data Stations Data Archiving and Networked Services

History and Founding

DANS (Data Archiving and Networked Services) was established in 2005 as the Dutch national centre of expertise and repository for research data, under the joint auspices of KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences) and NWO (Dutch Research Council). For its first years, DANS operated a single general-purpose archiving system called EASY. In response to evolving funder requirements and discipline-specific needs, DANS subsequently transitioned to a model of domain-specific repositories known as the DANS Data Stations, four of which are now operational: Archaeology, Social Sciences and Humanities, Life Sciences, and Physical and Technical Sciences.

Collections and Holdings

With more than 300,000 datasets and a staff of approximately 60, DANS is among Europe's leading research data repositories. The Data Stations use Dataverse software developed by Harvard University, providing comprehensive metadata management, version control, and FAIR-compliant data deposit workflows. Individual researchers and research teams can store, manage, and share datasets within environments tailored to their disciplines. The EASY archive, which contains datasets from earlier years spanning humanities, social sciences, health sciences, and oral history, remains accessible alongside the new Data Stations.

Notable Materials Related to Journalism and Media

The Social Sciences and Humanities Data Station hosts datasets relevant to media studies, communication research, oral history projects, and related fields. Dutch-language oral history collections previously held in EASY have been integrated into the new platform. DANS also contributed to the NARCIS national research portal before that service was discontinued.

Access and Usage

The DANS Data Stations are freely accessible online. Researchers can deposit datasets through a guided workflow and receive persistent identifiers for citation. DANS provides training in research data management, FAIR principles, and open science practices for researchers and institutions. It participates in European infrastructure projects including FAIR-IMPACT and FAIRCORE4EOSC.