D8.1 - Implementation report on support for "early adopters" and training interventions

Project Title FIDELIS: Establishing A European Network of Trustworthy Digital Repositories Project Acronym FIDELIS Grant Agreement No. 101188078 Start Date of Project 2025-01-01 Duration of Project 36 months Project Website www.fidelis-project.eu D8.1 - Implementation report on support for “early adopters” and training interventions Work Package WP8 - Repository training and support: Initiating network cohesion and support Lead Author (Org) Maaike Verburg (KNAW-DANS) Contributing Author(s) (Org) Joy Davidson (UEDIN-DCC), Laurence Horton (UEDIN-DCC), Tuomas J. Alaterä (TAU-FSD), Henna Kaartinen (TAU-FSD), Willem Elbers (CLARIN ERIC), Nadine Fischer (ESRF), Vasso Kalaitzi (KNAW-DANS), Geert van Geest (SIB), Gilles Matthieu (MESR), Helena Lozano (CSIC), Deborah Thorpe (KNAW-DANS), Anja Radonjic (Trust-IT) Due Date 2025-12-31 Date 2025-12-19 Version V1.0 DOI https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17986458 Dissemination Level X PU: Public PP: Restricted to other programme participants (including the Commission) RE: Restricted to a group specified by the consortium (including the Commission) CO: Confidential, only for members of the consortium (including the Commission) 1 | Page Versioning and contribution history Version Date Author Notes 0.1 2025.10.09 Maaike Verburg (KNAW-DANS) TOC and V0.1 0.5 2025.11.24 Maaike Verburg (KNAW-DANS), Joy Davidson (UEDIN-DCC), Laurence Horton (UEDIN-DCC), Tuomas J. Alaterä (TAU-FSD), Helena Lozano (CSIC) Version ready for internal review 0.8 2025.12.01 Henna Kaartinen (TAU-FSD), Willem Elbers (CLARIN ERIC), Nadine Fischer (ESRF), Vasso Kalaitzi (KNAW-DANS), Geert van Geest (SIB), Gilles Matthieu (MESR) Version ready for external review 0.9 2025.12.16 Helena Lozano (CSIC), Maaike Verburg (KNAW-DANS), Tuomas J. Alaterä (TAU-FSD) Reviewer comments incorporated 1.0 2025.12.19 Maaike Verburg (KNAW-DANS), Deborah Thorpe (KNAW-DANS), Anja Radonjic (Trust-IT) Final version for publication Disclaimer FIDELIS has received funding from the European Commission’s Horizon Europe funding programme for research and innovation programme under the Grant Agreement no. 101188078. The content of this document does not represent the opinion of the European Commission, and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that might be made of such content. TERMINOLOGY 2 | Page Terminology/Acronym Description FAIR Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable LLM Large Language Models TTRAM Transparent Trustworthy Repository Attributes Matrix TTRAM A|F Activities and Functions Table of Contents Executive Summary....................................................................................................................................... 4 1. Introduction................................................................................................................................................5 2. Preparing for training and support delivery..............................................................................................6 2.1. Landscape survey............................................................................................................................6 2.2. Training strategy development........................................................................................................6 2.2.1. Provisions for inclusivity........................................................................................................8 2.3. Digital badging................................................................................................................................. 9 3. Support for the Adoption of Solutions....................................................................................................11 3.1. Shaping the support type.............................................................................................................. 11 3.2. Pilot support for provisional FIDELIS Network members............................................................11 3.2.1. Support offers......................................................................................................................12 3.2.2. Registration.......................................................................................................................... 12 3.2.3. Support delivery...................................................................................................................14 3.2.4. Outcomes and evaluation....................................................................................................15 4. Peer-to-peer mentoring programme.......................................................................................................18 4.1. Shaping the support type.............................................................................................................. 18 4.2. Preparations for the first open call............................................................................................... 18 5. Open training activities............................................................................................................................20 5.1. Shaping the support type.............................................................................................................. 20 5.2. Webinars.........................................................................................................................................20 5.3. Training interventions....................................................................................................................21 6. Next steps................................................................................................................................................ 22 7. Appendix - resources on digital badging................................................................................................23 Overview of figures and tables Figure 1 - Landscape survey results around training and support characteristics....................................9 Figure 2 - Registration numbers vs. total planned capacity of the pilot support offers..........................13 Figure 3 - Countries represented by the participating repositories.......................................................... 14 Figure 4 - Scientific domains represented by the participating repositories. Multiple scientific domains could be indicated during registration........................................................................................................14 Table 1 Pilot satisfactory scores per support offer................................................................................... 16 3 | Page Executive Summary The FIDELIS Repository Training and Support Pillar is responsible for developing and delivering a comprehensive programme of support types which address the needs of the repository community regarding trustworthiness skills. This report details the activities of the first year of the project and how these will inform the upcoming activities in the next years. The training and support programme consists of three different support types: ● Support for the Adoption of Solutions: A mix of financial support and expert guidance will support repositories to implement and adopt good practices, tools, services, and other solutions to increase their trustworthiness. ● Peer-to-peer Mentoring Programme: A programme to connect mentors and mentees on specific TTRAM topics, bridging gaps in the current landscape and building the peer-to-peer support attitude that the FIDELIS Network will thrive on. ● Open Training Activities: Different events which are open for all to join, designed to share and teach about different topics and solutions relevant to the repository community. They include webinars, which focus more on information sharing and topical discussions, and training interventions, which include some interactive element for the audience. A comprehensive training strategy has been developed based on the insights gathered from the landscape study, pilot testing, and the delivery of the first training activities. Through this, the different types of support were defined and refined, and will be delivered more widely in the first open calls next year. This deliverable report details the different choices made and topics considered around developing this strategy, as well as the outcomes of the pilot support round and further community engagement. This transparent presentation of rationale, considerations, and decisions made shows the community what can be expected from the FIDELIS Repository Training and Support Pillar and how repositories can participate in the different programmes and activities. 4 | Page 1. Introduction One of the main objectives of the FIDELIS project is to “Strengthen the upskilling of repositories and expansion of the Network through an active training and support programme”. While the FIDELIS Network is being developed, the Repository Training and Support Pillar of the project focuses on identifying the needs of the community regarding capabilities, resources, and peer exchange and developing a comprehensive programme of support types which address those needs. This is for the wider repository landscape to benefit from currently, while at the same time it also tests the ways in which training, support, and peer exchange will also be essential elements of the FIDELIS Network in the future. This report describes the developments in the Repository Training and Support Pillar in the first year of the project. All achievements related to the three different support types are depicted (Support for the Adoption of Solutions; Peer-to-peer Mentoring Programme; and Open Training Activities), as well as any considerations on related topics. The aim is for this report to be a cohesive presentation of all training and support activities and related information from the FIDELIS project, with references to richer sources of information and resources where relevant. These different support and training formats and activities are taking place in three different phases: Initiating network cohesion and support (Year 1), Strengthening the network (Year 2), and Consolidating the network (Year 3). The report describes the results pertaining to the initial phase support and training, while also discussing the evaluation of the current work and the planned next steps as the training and support programme advances. 5 | Page 2. Preparing for training and support delivery The focus of the Repository Training and Support Pillar in the first year of the project was to design the overarching training strategy and prepare necessary processes, logistics, and materials for the different types of training and support. The specific objectives were formulated as follows: ● Identify repositories’ support and training needs; ● Establish collaboration with relevant initiatives for support and training of repositories; ● Develop and test a comprehensive training and support programme. 2.1. Landscape survey The FIDELIS landscape survey was set up, disseminated, and the results were analysed to identify repositories’ support and training needs. This landscape survey was a joint endeavor across the different FIDELIS Pillars and focused on many topics of relevance. The results of the report were published1 earlier in the year, as well as a highlights report.2 The survey received 159 responses from individuals representing 144 repositories, exceeding the level of engagement that was aimed for. Community input into the landscape survey helped identify some topics that participants valued for receiving training and support on: repository certification, long-term preservation, developing and sustaining a repository, access conditions and sensitive data, and stakeholder engagement and communication. The survey highlighted some characteristics of training and support that are valued by respondents and revealed preferences on aspects such as format and duration, which are all presented in more detail in section 3.4 of the landscape report. The outcomes of the landscape survey were used to shape the overarching training strategy of the Repository Training and Support Pillar, to ensure the strategy matches with community needs (see section 2.2). Existing resources, training and support initiatives, and contexts in which these are already provided were also indicated, which helped identify potential collaboration partners. It was also acknowledged that the responses received to the landscape survey did not reflect all of the countries it aimed to reach. This led to the design of a more explicit effort to reach selected countries through other mechanisms, which was subsequently included in a specific section of the training strategy (see section 2.2.1). Taken together, the landscape survey generated a rich overview of information that helped to shape the approach to training and support in FIDELIS. Where relevant, references will be made to specific outcomes of the study throughout this deliverable report. 2.2. Training strategy development For the development of a comprehensive training and support programme, a significant part of the year was dedicated to the creation of the overarching training strategy. This internal document was developed to detail the different training and support types. It outlines the logistics and decision making involved in planning support and training activities, and the general structure to be followed. The strategy does allow for some flexibility where this fits the content or purpose of the activity. The process of creating the strategy led to the identification of key decisions that need to be made and 2 https://eden-fidelis.eu/news/fidelis-landscape-survey-explore-report-highlights 1 Jouneau, T., Verburg, M., Horton, L., van Geest, G., Tujunen, S., Kallio, J., Paulsen, T., Duvaud, S., Recker, J., Holthe-Tveit, Å. J., Thorpe, D. E., Conzett, P., Kleemola, M., Kalaitzi, V., Huber, R., Jonquet, C., Aguilar, F., Forshaug, A. K., Alaterä, T. J., & Esteves, E. (2025). FIDELIS landscape survey analysis (1.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15744996 6 | Page strategic pathways in relation to the FIDELIS overarching goals and objectives. It exists as a living document that will be evaluated and updated regularly with updated insights on the landscape and experiences from delivered activities, aiming to anticipate and address potential future challenges. This considers the duration of the FIDELIS project, but is also the starting point of considering training and support within the FIDELIS Network that will be established by the end of the project and will continue into the future3. The document is internal to the FIDELIS team and is shared with important collaboration partners for the delivery of training and support activities, such as the sister project EOSC EDEN. All information that is relevant for the community will be communicated on the website’s Training and Support Area.4 The training strategy is strongly focused around the context, goals, and objectives of the training and support programme, to inform all decisions and to limit the risk of scope creep. Because the core purpose of the training and support programme is to help repositories upskill in aspects that are deemed important for trustworthy digital repositories, the Transparent Trustworthy Repository Attributes Matrix (TTRAM)5 , developed by the FIDELIS project, was chosen as the core structure of all training and support activities planned and undertaken. “The Transparent Trustworthy Repository Attributes Matrix (TTRAM) has been designed to better understand repositories, and how transparency around the broad range of activities and functions they undertake can contribute to trustworthiness.”6 This decision means that each training and support event will be linked to one or more TTRAM Activities and Functions (A|F), so participants can clearly see which elements they will be able to upskill (e.g. ‘Mission and Scope’, ‘Reuse’, or ‘Preservation’). Due to the importance of TTRAM for FIDELIS as a whole, and the fact that it is a new concept to the community, the team will also ensure that there are training opportunities that cover the TTRAM as a whole (e.g. What is the TTRAM? How to fill it in for your repository? How to provide feedback on the matrix?). For each training and support event that is initiated, the relevant TTRAM A|F(s) will be clearly communicated to the audience. This supports the relevance of the training and support event and strengthens the coherence of the FIDELIS project by identifying the same attributes as being important for trustworthiness. Community members should be able to easily find what training activities and/or materials are available for each of the A|Fs and what they will gain from engaging with it. Work is ongoing to realise this ease of navigation on the project website. Training and support suggestions that cannot be linked to at least one TTRAM A|F will not be developed and delivered by the project. In many cases, training and support activities and materials may relate to multiple A|Fs. In such cases, a primary relation will be identified and all secondary relations will be included as well to showcase the full scope of benefits the event or material may offer. To track potential training and support activities, the FIDELIS support team works according to a support content planner. This planner is structured according to the TTRAM A|Fs and includes details of potential support, training and guidance and lists FIDELIS partners with the relevant experience to deliver it. An important part of planning the potential support activities, as well as one of the main objectives of the first year of the Repository Training and Support Pillar, was to identify the necessary connections and collaborations with other projects, initiatives, and experts, that are relevant for the communities 6 Kleemola, M., L'Hours, H., Parkes, O., Recker, J., Duvaud, S., van Horik, R., Alaterä, T. J., Liberante, F., Conzett, P., Kaartinen, H., Bäckman, S., Lammert, A., & Verburg, M. (2025). FIDELIS MS12 First version of TTRAM. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17157958 5 https://eden-fidelis.eu/fidelis-ttramatrix 4 https://eden-fidelis.eu/fidelis-training-support-area 3 https://eden-fidelis.eu/fidelis-network-tdrs 7 | Page targeted by FIDELIS. Bringing in expertise and solutions from outside of FIDELIS is essential to deliver high quality training and support for the community. Connections were established in the first place with the sister project EOSC EDEN. The current developments, planned activities, and relevant outputs for the remainder of that project were identified and connected to potential support types and formats. Beyond this, connections were identified to other ongoing or recently finished projects and initiatives who can bring in solutions and expertise to share with the wider community. Experts from these different areas will be brought in for the different open calls and open training activities to co-organise and deliver on topics of importance to the community. These connections and engagement are further supported by FIDELIS coordination and strategic alliance activities. Another overarching training strategy decision was to conclude each support offer deriving from a FIDELIS open call7 with a co-authored Implementation Story. Implementation Stories were initially created by the FAIRsFAIR project,8 and later successfully continued by the FAIR-IMPACT project,9 to facilitate wider sharing of knowledge and practical experience between peers. One Implementation Story is written for each support offer in a collaborative effort between the FIDELIS support team and the participants, describing the main challenges encountered as well as lessons learned and provides key messages and advice to peers looking to improve their skills on the same topic, now or in the future. It is also a way for the providers of the solution to receive considered feedback they can take on board for further development. All Implementation Stories will be published under a CC-BY license on Zenodo and shared on the FIDELIS website, so they are easily findable and reusable for the community. 2.2.1. Provisions for inclusivity A key aim is to ensure that underrepresented countries benefit from FIDELIS support. Underrepresentation can refer to those who have not yet participated in previous training and support activities, those with lower certification rates, and those with limited access to resources and development. To make the commitment explicit, several objectives have been identified, with associated actions for each: ● active facilitation of increased representation in the training and support programmes of countries that have previously been less well represented, so their repositories can be strengthened and improve important skills ● active facilitation of repository networking throughout Europe and allow onboarding onto the FIDELIS Network by all countries. ● improved understanding of the unique challenges, needs, and questions that are prevalent in these areas and may be different from previously identified topics in the repository landscape. These objectives and goals will be shared with the community in early 2026 at the International Digital Curation Conference10 and then kicked off by a dedicated event to identify the most pressing needs and suggestions from the community. A large part of the strategy strand will focus on establishing personal contact with people in the specified areas with the aim to more easily and effectively share information and answer questions that may have otherwise prevented participation. Where feasible, 10 https://www.dcc.ac.uk/events/idcc26 9 https://fair-impact.eu/implementation-adoption-stories 8 https://www.fairsfair.eu/implementation-adoption-stories 7 The FIDELIS project, adhering to principles of inclusive, transparent and accessible opportunities for the targeted groups, uses open calls to organise participation in support where financial support is included through cascading grants. https://eden-fidelis.eu/fidelis-training-support-area 8 | Page FIDELIS partners will support the delivery of events in local languages to increase the benefit of participation. As this strategy strand advances, more information will be presented on the website to transparently showcase this. 2.3. Digital badging One of the tasks in the first year of the Repository Training and Support Pillar was to explore the use of digital badging for the training and support programme. Several discussions were held on the topic, drawing on project partners’ previous experiences, available resources, as well as the outcomes of the landscape survey. Appendix A provides a list of some of the relevant resources considered in the discussion, to support others exploring the same topic. Ultimately, it was decided that the FIDELIS project training and support programme does not directly suit the implementation of digital badging and will therefore not be pursued. There were a few main factors influencing this decision. First, the nature of the training and support is to be flexible to new developments and solutions, which would make it challenging to identify consistent learning objectives and have the badge indicate meaningful skills or competencies. Secondly, investing in digital badging would only be beneficial if its continuation within the FIDELIS Network was guaranteed. It was not deemed feasible to finalise this decision considering the ongoing development of the Network and its processes, logistics, and goals. Lastly, the results of the landscape survey indicated that the community did not express a great interest in receiving a badge or certificate for their participation in a training or support programme (see Figure 1). Figure 1 - Landscape survey results around training and support characteristics. Taken together, and considering guidance on what to consider when planning for digital badging implementation (see Appendix A), it became clear that digital badges in this context would not convey 9 | Page 2026. The evaluations available at the time of deliverable writing are presented here. In general, the level of satisfaction was very high. On average, respondents rated on a scale of 1–5 that the training met their expectations at a level of 4.3, and 4.7 when asked whether they would recommend future support offers to other Network members. Table 1 shows the average scores for these two measures, expectation fulfillment and likelihood of recommendation, broken down by each support offer delivered. Table 1 Pilot satisfactory scores per support offer. Support Offer Average score for meeting expectations Average score for recommending to others Number of responses Number of participants TTRAM 3.9 4.5 8 9 CoreTrustSeal 4.8 5.0 4 6 FAIR EVA 4.7 5.0 3 3 About one-fifth of respondents indicated they joined the Network specifically to take part in the support offers. A clear majority felt that the training they received matched the description provided. However, some participants wished that a little more time had been allocated for group discussions. This feedback will be taken onboard for the next rounds of training. Slightly less than half of the respondents have already had the chance to apply what they learned during the support sessions. Ninety percent felt that the support offer allowed them to connect with peers and experts on the topic. The primary reasons for applying for the support offer varied. Most participants applied for the training to strengthen their repository practices and prepare for certification. Key motivations included improving internal policies and procedures, gaining a deeper understanding of TTRAM, and ensuring readiness for CoreTrustSeal certification or recertification. Others aimed to join the FIDELIS Network and explore FAIR evaluation tools to assess their applicability and contribute to their development. In the TTRAM support offer, participants liked the peer exchange, the exchange of experiences with the other participants and the downloadable materials but they missed more time for discussion, individual feedback, and more clarity in how to apply the TTRAM model. Participants in the CoreTrustSeal support offer valued the opportunity to receive guidance and personalised consultations from experts on their most pressing questions related to the self-assessment. Several participants noted that additional time for workshops would have allowed for more in-depth discussions, but appreciated well-structured resources offered. All respondents reported concrete progress after the training and agreed that CoreTrustSeal support is something the FIDELIS Network should continue to provide in the future. In the FAIR EVA support offer, participants appreciated the direct contact with the tool developer and liked the hands-on examples. One participant commented that they needed more technical experience to properly follow the course and another participant needed more clarification in the documentation. In general, participants of all support offers thought that this type of training would be a valuable component of the future FIDELIS Network. As a suggestion for other topics, challenges or solutions that FIDELIS could support, respondents mentioned FAIR data, practical insights on the CoreTrustSeal preparation, as well as policies and 16 | Page ethical issues for repositories. Additional topics suggested included legal challenges related to appraisal and reuse, deposit agreements necessary for data curation, issues of dual use, digital preservation practices, best practices for distributed data curation models, and the use of AI. All feedback received will be considered as the FIDELIS training programme continues. All processes, roles, and documents created for the pilot round will also be evaluated at the start of 2026 by the FIDELIS support team and the externally involved speakers to identify opportunities for updates, improvements, and greater effectiveness. 17 | Page 4. Peer-to-peer mentoring programme The ‘Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Programme’ is designed to connect mentors and mentees on specific TTRAM topics, bridging gaps in the current landscape and building the peer-to-peer support attitude that the FIDELIS Network will thrive on. This section describes how this support type was designed and planned. 4.1. Shaping the support type Peer connection and exchange is the main goal of this support type. This more personal and community-led type of training (i.e. community peers co-deliver the training instead of only participating) will also consist of a mixture of direct interaction, independent work, peer exchange, and guidance. Mentors will be identified through an open call. Several thematic areas will be identified for which the open call will accept mentoring proposals, each linked to TTRAM activities and functions as per the training strategy. These proposals will be evaluated and ranked, and from this a pool of external mentors will be selected. These mentors will receive financial compensation (i.e. cascading grant mechanism linked to the open call) for their effort, as well as training and guidance from the FIDELIS support team on mentoring skills and expectations. For each mentoring proposal, registration will then open for mentees to participate in the proposed activity. The peer-to-peer mentoring will conclude with the collaborative writing of an Implementation Story to publicly share the activity undertaken and advice for other peers who are looking to achieve progress in the same area. This story is then also promoted through an open webinar, where the mentor and mentee(s) will share their experiences and exchange newly acquired knowledge with the wider community. This approach takes into account the community feedback received through the landscape survey around the concept of mentoring. It was observed that many community members find it hard to identify themselves as a mentor amongst their peers. The emphasis on the peer-to-peer element in the mentoring programme takes away this perceived hierarchy, highlighting instead the power of community where different individuals have different strengths and experiences. The landscape survey also showed that the role of a mentor has previously been defined too vaguely, leading to inconsistent delivery of mentoring support. Therefore, the FIDELIS programme includes training for mentors to set the mentors up for a unified approach. Throughout the delivery of the mentoring activity, the mentors are supported by the FIDELIS team to ensure a high quality programme. The group of active mentors is also engaged in peer exchange of their own, where the mentors come together to share experiences, challenges, and advise with each other to grow their skills as mentors together. 4.2. Preparations for the first open call The peer-to-peer mentoring programme did not have a pilot round in the first year. Instead, all effort was focused on shaping the support type and considering the logistics and needed resources. All partners involved in the support type considered their personal expertise and contributions, and the full programme was set up for the first round to kick off in early 2026. 18 | Page The TRUST-GRANTS platform19 will be used for all the open calls during the FIDELIS project. To this end, the platform was discussed and toured to explore all relevant features. The platform will be used for the first time for the first open call for the peer-to-peer mentoring programme, and is currently being prepared for the needed functionalities. At the start of the second year, the platform will be tested and evaluated in advance of the first open call. 19 https://trust-itservices.com/services/project-management/grants-management 19 | Page 5. Open training activities The third type of support in the project are the open training activities. These different events are open for all to join, designed to share and teach about different topics and solutions relevant to the repository community. These activities are flexible to take on different shapes or formats and content, focusing in some cases specifically on repository management and governance or technical topics. This section describes how this type of support was shaped and which initial activities were already carried out in the first year. 5.1. Shaping the support type During the first half of year one, efforts were put into fleshing out the support content planner and mapping support topics to TTRAM activities and functions (see section 2.2). Project partners shared ideas and topics within their own scope of expertise, and identified necessary collaborations to deliver other activities in the future. The support content planner describes potential formats, contents, and audiences for each suggested topic and will be updated continuously throughout the project lifetime. A distinction is made in the open training activities between webinars, which focus more on information sharing and topical discussions, and training interventions, which include some interactive element for the audience. Both types of activities have flexibility to be shaped according to the desired goals and outcomes, but generally require less or no independent work from participants. Topics that are part of either of the other support types may also be covered in open training activities, to allow a wider audience to engage with the topic in a less intensive format. All open training activities will be recorded and published on the website, unless otherwise indicated. The first webinars and training interventions were already delivered in the first year, and this will continue throughout the project as topics and planning develop. 5.2. Webinars During the first year of the project, two webinars to introduce the Transparent Trustworthy Repository Attributes Matrix (TTRAM) were organised and delivered in collaboration with the Harmonisation, Recommendations, and Federation Pillar. The webinars aimed to provide participants with an understanding of TTRAM’s scope and functionalities. The first was an invitation-only session to secure initial feedback from key stakeholders and the second was a public webinar to share the updated version and to secure wider feedback from the community. These both fed into an open consultation period during which TTRAM was open for public comment, which resulted in the first stable version of the TTRAM later in the year20. ● Introduction of the TTRAM Matrix webinar (invitation-only), April 4th (77 participants)21 ● Introduction of the TTRAM Matrix webinar (public), June 17th (132 participants)22 22 https://eden-fidelis.eu/events/introduction-ttram-matrix-webinar-0 21 https://eden-fidelis.eu/events/introduction-ttram-matrix-webinar 20 Kleemola, M., L'Hours, H., Parkes, O., Recker, J., Duvaud, S., van Horik, R., Alaterä, T. J., Liberante, F., Conzett, P., Kaartinen, H., Bäckman, S., Lammert, A., & Verburg, M. (2025). FIDELIS MS12 First version of TTRAM. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17157958 20 | Page 5.3. Training interventions In the first year of the project, two interactive training interventions were organised and delivered. These events provided repository staff with hands-on opportunities to actively engage on specific TTRAM topics and to work together to define community approaches and to develop shared resources. AI for Digital Repositories: opportunities and challenges23 2 December 2025 Number of registrations: 282, from 113 unique repositories TTRAM A|F: Curation, Quality & Compliance Artificial Intelligence (AI) provides many opportunities, but also challenges for digital repositories. In this training intervention, three speakers with experience from different angles in applying AI to digital repositories shared their knowledge and views. The presentation session was followed by two parallel sessions. One of those was a tutorial, in which participants could learn on how to get started with applying Large Language Models (LLM) to digital repositories. The other was a discussion session about current topics regarding LLM and digital repositories, which resulted in interesting insights from a diverse audience. The workshop was attended by approximately 100 participants. Most of them (42) were repository managers or curators, followed by research data supporters (29) and technical staff (22). Only 11 participants were already part of the FIDELIS network or project, while the rest were not (yet), highlighting the broad reach of this intervention beyond FIDELIS. At the time of deliverable publication, the recording of the training intervention was viewed 141 times, indicating interest beyond those who could join the event. Adapting the FAIR-enabling data policy checklist for repositories24 10 December 2025 Number of registrations: 94, from 59 unique repositories TTRAM A|F: Policy & Standards FIDELIS’ Transparent Trustworthy Repository Attributes Matrix (TTRAM) highlights policies and standards as key repository functions and activities. In recent years, policy makers at various levels have been working to ensure that their policies support the creation and reuse of data that are findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR). The FAIRsFAIR project released their FAIR-enabling data policy checklist25 in 2022 to help policy makers self-assess whether elements of their data policies are FAIR-enabling as well as providing recommendations on what should be addressed when developing new data policies. While the checklist was originally intended to support the development and refinement of policies by research performing organisations and funding bodies, this training intervention aimed to convert it to the repository context. Different repository policies were considered, and participants worked collaboratively towards a first draft of the adaptation. The work will be continued after the training intervention to lead to a co-authored publication of the newly created resource. 25 Davidson, J., Grootveld, M., Verburg, M., van Horik, R., O'Connor, R., Engelhardt, C., Garbuglia, F., Vieira, A., Newbold, E., Proudman, V., & Horton, L. (2022). FAIR-enabling Data Policy Checklist (1.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6225775 24 https://eden-fidelis.eu/events/adapting-fair-enabling-data-policy-checklist-repositories-workshop 23 https://eden-fidelis.eu/events/ai-digital-repositories-opportunities-and-challenges 21 | Page 6. Next steps Based on the experiences and lessons learned from the first year of training and support in FIDELIS, a robust strategy has been set up, prepared for, and tested. Evaluations of the pilot round of the Support for the Adoption of Solutions, as well as the first open training activities and identified needs for the Peer-to-peer Mentoring Programme will lead to the first revision and update of the living document. In the second year of the FIDELIS project, the first open call for the Peer-to-peer Mentoring Programme and the first open call for the Support for the Adoption of Solutions will both launch, leading to the delivery of both support types in the second half of the year. These open calls will be promoted widely, with specific attention to the selected countries for more explicit communication. All information about the support types and their open calls will be published on the website in advance of the launch of the open calls, so interested applicants can make informed decisions about their involvement. Based on the interest in the open calls, additional open training activities may be organised to bring specific topics to the community in a more widely accessible way. The open training activities will also continue, starting off with the joint EDEN-FIDELIS workshop at the 20th edition of the International Digital Curation Conference in Zagreb, Croatia26. Closer connection will be established with selected countries acting on the specifically designed strategy, starting with an online discussion about community needs in countries less represented in the original landscape survey. Based on the outcomes of these initial connections, updates to the training strategy may be made to plan specific events or outputs. Open training activities in native languages are considered, as well as working on more proactive and targeted information sharing around the practicalities of the open calls. Throughout the project, next to the active delivery of training and support, focus will also be put on preparing what training and support may look like in the future of the FIDELIS Network. 26 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/idcc26-workshop-2-structuring-and-understanding-repositories-and-archivestickets-1970280146958?aff=oddtdtcreator 22 | Page 7. Appendix - resources on digital badging ● Liz Guzman-Ramirez, Antonio Schettino, Jeffrey Sweeney, & Nami Sunami. (2023). Badges to Reward Open & Responsible Research Practices (2.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8278785 ● Pêgo, J. P., Cophignon, A., & Freitas, A. (2024). Manual for DocTalent4EU credentials issuing. DocTalent4EU Consortium. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13833646 ● Pêgo, J. P., & Freitas, A. (2025). Guidelines and good practices for the use of DocTalent4EU credentials connected to ESCO. DocTalent4EU Consortium. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15181869 ● Digital Badging: An Introduction and Guide to Getting Started https://www.ca-ilg.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/digital_badging.pdf?1524597358 ● EOSC Synergy Quality Badges https://www.eosc-synergy.eu/eosc-synergy-quality-badges/ ● EC Guidance on micro-credentials: https://education.ec.europa.eu/education-levels/higher-education/micro-credentials ● ORCID accreditations and qualifications https://info.orcid.org/accreditations-and-qualifications/ 23 | Page