About

Launched: 2018
Record Updated: May 26, 2025
Data management planning tool or service
ARGOS is an open-source, web-based platform to help researchers, institutions, and funders plan how research outputs will be managed, shared, and preserved.
You can use ARGOS to create Data and Software Management Plans (DMPs, SMPs), or other types of plans often required by funders or research organisations.
It guides you step by step through the planning process, using templates based on different policies or project needs.
ARGOS supports team collaboration and peer review of plans. It also connects with other systems like repositories, research information systems (CRIS), and notebooks to automatically fill in or link useful information.
Plans can be downloaded in different formats or shared online, and the tool helps you follow good practices like FAIR, Open Science, and institutional rules.
Whether you're writing a basic plan or organising your research workflows more broadly, ARGOS gives you a flexible space to manage and document your research activities clearly and consistently.

Mission

ARGOS empowers researchers and institutions to turn Data Management Plans (DMPs) from static, often overlooked documents into useful, living outputs.
It supports both simple planning for compliance and awareness, and integrated workflows that connect data, people, and services.
By making DMPs FAIR and machine-actionable, ARGOS addresses key limitations - such as poor discoverability, lack of structure, and disconnected processes - helping embed DMPs into the heart of responsible and open research.

Key Achievements

- Integration of ARGOS machine-actionable DMPs (ma-DMPs) into the OpenAIRE Graph. This development significantly enhances interoperability, visibility, and reuse.
- Release of Export Format Converters and Semantic Tagging: introduced export converters (e.g. JSON, XML) and semantic tagging functionalities.
These allow DMPs to be interoperable with third-party systems, paving the way for automation, integration with repositories like Zenodo, and wider adoption across research infrastructures.
-ARGOS is widely used across Europe, co-developing EOSC standards and supporting Open Science projects like TIER2 and OSTrails. Trusted by CHIST-ERA, the Latvian Research Council, PSNC, and FCT, ARGOS plays a key role in shaping responsible research data management across diverse domains and communities.

Technical Attributes

Maintenance Status

Actively Maintained

Open Code Repository

Implemented

Technical Documentation

Implemented

Code License

Implemented

Open API

Implemented

Open Product Roadmap

Implemented

Technical Attribute Statements

Programming Languages

  • java
  • typescript

Technology Readiness Level

  • Actual system proven in operational environment

Code Licenses Used

EUPL 1.2

Content Licensing

  • Creative commons licenses

Standards

Metadata

  • DataCite metadata schema
  • Dublin Core
  • JSON
  • OpenAIRE guidelines
  • REST
  • XML Exchange Table Model Document Type Definition

Persistent Identifier

  • ORCiD

Metrics

  • COUNTER 5
  • SUSHI

Hosting Options

  • Through solution only

Integrations

  • Creative Commons Licenses
  • DataCite
  • Dataverse
  • DSpace
  • Open Journal Systems (OJS)
  • Research Organization Registry (ROR)
  • Zenodo

Community Engagement

Code of Conduct

Implemented

Community Engagement

Implemented

Community Statements

Community Engagement Activities

  • Blogs
  • Community calls
  • Conference participation
  • Development sprints
  • Interest, working, user, or advisory groups
  • Social media
  • Staff roles with responsibility for community engagement
  • Webinars and training

Engagement with Values Frameworks

  • FAIR Guiding Principles for Scientific Data Management and Stewardship

Policies & Governance

Policies

Commitment to Equity & Inclusion

Implemented

Privacy Policy

Implemented

Web Accessibility Statement

In Progress

Governance Structure & Processes

Implemented

Transparent Pricing and Cost Expectations

Implemented

Policy Statements

Board Structure

  • Advisory board or steering committee

Board Level

The Board is essential in shaping OpenAIRE and thereby the ARGOS roadmap and development. They are regularly consulted and their input and decisions are highly valued and respected.

Community Governance

  • Formal

Additional Information

Organizational History

For nearly two decades, OpenAIRE has been collaborating closely with the European Commission to advance and promote Open Science principles on a global scale. These principles are founded in the belief that the free flow of knowledge is not only essential for advancing scientific discovery, but also crucial for our societies to thrive.
The popularity and adoption of Open Science has increased the availability of scientific and scholarly content. Scientific publications have traditionally been the main focus of Open Access, but datasets, protocols, methodologies, software, and workflows are becoming more openly available and accessible.
Built on the OpenCDMP open-source software initiatied in collaboration with EUDAT and then refactored by CITE, ARGOS was created to support researchers in producing machine-actionable and openly available FAIR DMPs.
Since its launch, ARGOS has evolved from a lightweight DMP editor into a fully integrated service within the OpenAIRE ecosystem and EOSC, offering export formats, semantic tagging, and interoperability with trusted research infrastructures like Zenodo and the OpenAIRE Research Graph. It is now widely adopted in European and national Open Science projects to support responsible research data management.

Organizational Structure

Business or Ownership Model

Non-profit organization

Current Affiliations

Athena Research Center (ARC)
Communication & Information Technologies Experts (CITE)

Funding

Primary Funding Source

  • Program service revenue