Data Deposit Agreement  

1. General Principles 

1.1. This Agreement defines the procedure by which Datasets are deposited in the Latvian Research Data Repository DataverseLV (hereinafter – the Repository), as well as the rights, obligations, and responsibilities of the Repository Maintainer and the user (Depositor) submitting data.
1.2. The purpose of this Agreement is to ensure responsible publication, preservation, and sharing of data in accordance with Latvian and European Union legislation, and with the best practices and guidelines for research data management available on the Repository website at dataverse.lv.
1.3. The Repository is managed by the Association “Higher Education and Science Information Technology Shared Service Center” (VPC) (hereinafter – the Repository Maintainer).
1.4. By using the Repository, the Depositor confirms that they have read and agree to this Agreement and other documents published by the Repository Maintainer, including policies, guidelines, and procedures available at dataverse.lv.
1.5. In case of a breach of this Agreement or other applicable documents, the Repository Maintainer reserves the right to restrict or terminate the Depositor’s access to Repository functionalities available only to authorized users.
1.6. Definitions:
    • Dataset – research data and accompanying documentation which, together with metadata, form a structured information unit for deposit in the Repository.
    • Data Steward – a research data management specialist who provides advisory support on preparing Datasets for deposit, sharing, reuse, and data management planning and execution.
    • Depositor – a researcher or Data Steward who deposits a Dataset into the Repository, including preparation of metadata and uploading of data.
    • Deposit – the submission of a research Dataset to the Repository with its accompanying metadata, access conditions, and usage license.
    • DOI – a unique Digital Object Identifier assigned to each Dataset published in the Repository, ensuring permanent access.
    • Embargo Period – a period during which a Dataset is deposited and technically preserved in the Repository but not yet publicly available, typically to protect intellectual property or commercial interests or to allow for pre-publication in a scientific journal.
    • Metadata – structured descriptive information about a Dataset that defines its content and context in both machine-readable and human-readable formats.
    • License – a standardized agreement by which the rights holder grants usage rights and defines terms for modification, redistribution, or reuse.
    • Partner Organization – a higher education or research institution that collaborates with the Repository Maintainer and manages one or more Repository collections.
    • Access Levels – a set of permissions or restrictions controlling access to deposited Datasets, implemented via Repository functionality (open, restricted, or closed access).
    • Repository – a specialized digital platform for long-term preservation, management, and access to research Datasets and metadata to promote scientific transparency and data reuse.
    • Repository Collection – a thematic or institutional subdivision of the Repository managed by the respective Data Steward.

2. Obligations and Declarations of the Depositor 

2.1. The Depositor must be a registered Repository user to access data deposit services, including uploading Datasets to collections.
2.2. It is prohibited to deposit Datasets that:
    • 2.2.1. Contain sensitive or legally protected data (including personal data).
    • 2.2.2. Infringe intellectual property rights.
    • 2.2.3. Are illegal in purpose or content.
    • 2.2.4. Contain harmful software or malicious code.
2.3. By depositing data in the Repository, the Depositor confirms that all Datasets planned for deposit meet the following conditions:
    • 2.3.1. The Depositor holds the rights or authorization to submit the Dataset to the Repository for publication, archiving, and long-term preservation, as well as to determine its License and access conditions. If the Dataset has multiple authors, consent from co-authors has been obtained or authorization to act on their behalf is in place.
    • 2.3.2. To the best of the Depositor’s knowledge, the Dataset does not include content that is not permitted to be deposited in the Repository.
    • 2.3.3. Persons mentioned in the descriptive metadata of the Dataset (including the Depositor and any other person mentioned in the metadata) have been informed about and have consented to the inclusion of their personal data in the Repository.
    • 2.3.4. The deposited information must comply with research ethics principles. If the study involves people or human-derived material, documentation on obtaining informed consent from data subjects and the opinion of the relevant institutional ethics committee, if necessary, must be available and presented upon the Repository Maintainer’s request.
    • 2.3.5. The Dataset complies with the Repository quality checlist.
    • 2.3.6. The Dataset is, as far as possible, prepared for deposit in accordance with best practices in research data management, including the recommendations and guidance provided in the research data management guide on the dataverse.lv website
    • 2.3.7. To the best of the Depositor’s knowledge, the information included in the Datasets and descriptive metadata is accurate and true.
    • 2.3.8. Descriptive metadata are, as far as possible, supplemented with information about other research outputs, such as scientific publications.
    • 2.3.9. Where applicable, the Depositor has observed binding publication restrictions (Embargo periods) imposed by third parties, such as a scientific journal publisher.
    • 2.3.10. In publishing the data, the Depositor does not violate any agreements with and obligations to third parties.
2.4. The Depositor must clearly indicate the License type, Embargo period, and Access level that will be applied to the respective Dataset in the Repository.
2.5. The Depositor undertakes to review the recommendations of the Repository collection maintainer, provide feedback, and confirm corrections if such are proposed.
2.6. The Depositor undertakes to immediately inform the Repository Maintainer about significant changes concerning the deposited Dataset, especially regarding access conditions.
2.7. The Depositor undertakes to comply with the Repository documents—the Terms of Use, the Privacy Policy, this Agreement.

3. Obligations of the Repository Maintainer 

3.1. The Repository Maintainer will manage the Depositor’s Dataset in accordance with this Agreement, the instructions provided by the Depositor in the metadata, and the selected Repository functionality.
3.2. The Repository Maintainer undertakes to:
    • 3.2.1. perform technical and formal quality checks for Datasets prepared for deposit and submitted to collections managed by Partner Organizations, and provide feedback to Depositors on identified deficiencies before data publication. This check ensures compliance of data and metadata with Repository requirements and includes an assessment of:
      • file completeness,
      • metadata completeness,
      • file organization structure,
      • suitability of file formats for long-term preservation,
      • potential interoperability;
    • 3.2.2. recommend changes to descriptive metadata if errors are found in mandatory metadata fields that hinder identification of the research result or its author, and make minor edits to improve record discoverability (contacting the Depositor as needed and subject to the capacity of the Repository collection maintainer);
    • 3.2.3. review the Depositor’s instructions and manage the Datasets accordingly (including instructions on Licenses, Embargo period, Access levels, etc.);
    • 3.2.4. ensure the option to add Creative Commons Licenses to Datasets, including choice of License type;
    • 3.2.5. provide Repository functionality for different Access levels—including open, restricted, and closed access to Datasets;
    • 3.2.6. assign a unique DOI to deposited Datasets to ensure a permanent access link to the Dataset in the Repository;
    • 3.2.7. retain metadata records in the Repository’s public search system even when a Dataset is under restricted or closed access, or deleted, to ensure the research can be found;
    • 3.2.8. maintain a version control system and preserve the Dataset’s change history, enabling tracking of changes over time;
    • 3.2.9. ensure long-term preservation and accessibility of deposited Datasets and metadata using secure, reliable, and internationally standards-compliant digital infrastructure, with regular system updates and security improvements;
    • 3.2.10. perform regular data backups in at least two physical locations, using modern data center infrastructure and a geographically distributed replication system located within the European Union, and, if necessary, convert files to formats and media suitable for data security and long-term preservation;
    • 3.2.11. provide integration of the Repository with other research management systems with the aim of using descriptive metadata for broader discoverability and other science-related processes, such as research achievement evaluation, increasing the visibility of authors’ institutions, and others;
    • 3.2.12. provide availability of Dataset usage statistics.
3.3. The Repository Maintainer offers Partner Organizations technical and advisory support provided by Repository collection maintainers, using their expertise on data deposit processes, data structuring, file formats, Access levels, choice of Licenses, creation of descriptive metadata, and more.
3.4. The Depositor will be informed about significant changes in the operation or technical infrastructure of the Repository that may affect the availability or use of the Dataset.
3.5. The Repository Maintainer reserves the right to remove a Dataset and/or metadata from the sharing environment if it is determined that publication of this information violates the Data Deposit Agreement in the Repository or creates a risk of violation of the laws of Latvia and/or the European Union, or other regions of the world.

4. Limitation of Liability 

4.1. Notwithstanding that Repository collection maintainers will ensure quality checks of data and descriptive metadata and will inform the Depositor about identified deficiencies prior to data deposit, the Repository Maintainer assumes no responsibility for possible errors or inaccuracies in the deposited Dataset, nor legal responsibility for violations of laws that may result from the Dataset entering the public domain.
4.2. The Repository Maintainer does not guarantee intellectual property protection or legal defense in cases where the License terms of a deposited Dataset are violated.
4.3. The Depositor assumes the responsibilities and obligations of the data controller regarding personal data included in the Dataset or its description.
4.4. This Agreement enters into force at the time of the Depositor’s registration and is valid for an indefinite period unless either party terminates it in writing, stating justified reasons. Termination of the Agreement does not affect the availability and use of already deposited Datasets in accordance with the assigned License.
4.5. The Repository Maintainer reserves the right to unilaterally amend this Agreement at any time. The current version of the Agreement enters into force 14 (fourteen) days after its publication on the Repository website dataverse.lv, unless otherwise specified.

Contact Information

In case of questions or uncertainties, please contact the Repository Maintainer:
Email: info@vpc.lv 
Phone: +371 67 969 580 
Rīga, Zigfrīda Annas Meierovica bulvāris 14 
Website: https://dataverse.lv/