In March 2020, the international science community asked schools and research organizations to help make it easier for researchers and scientists to join global collaborations formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A key component to enabling that collaboration is for an identity provider to release a few pieces of information to qualifying resources in the REFEDS Research & Scholarship Category (R&S). These resources include more than 140 research and academic collaborations or supporting services. By releasing the information defined in R&S, identity providers enable users to access these collaborations quickly without having to navigate complex information release negotiations.
| | Additional Reading: What is the Research and Scholarship Entity Category, and why should I care? |
The community responded. By Summer 2020, 175 institutions had begun supporting releasing information to R&S. R&S adoption received another boost this Spring when the National Institute of Health (NIH) launched its effort to adopt several federated access requirements, including R&S.
As of the start of August 2021, 256 InCommon identity providers have flipped the switch and are now supporting R&S, nearly doubling the R&S support in the community. See the full list of R&S Supporting organizations.
Is your institution not supporting R&S yet? Make it easier for your faculty and staff to participate in these important collaborations by joining the R&S club. Getting started is straightforward. Read about R&S and follow these simple steps to join the club.