Shall we share? A repository for Open Research Data in agriculture and environmental sciences.

Many initiatives actively encourage investigators to make their research data available, but the process of sharing data is perceived by most researchers more as a burden than as a chance to increase the impact of their results and leverage the value of their research investment. One of the main barriers to open research data (ORD) is the need for interoperable data e-infrastructures that allow researchers to manage a whole scientific information life cycle and its complexities. In our pilot project, named "V2P2 repository", we developed an open access and open source repository to store, preserve and make accessible heterogeneous agricultural ORD collected in decades of scientific research about plant-microbe interactions at the Institute of Sustainable Plant Protection, with a particular focus on plant viruses and plant disease symptoms. Additionally, we provided a step-by-step installation guide to set up a customable open source repository from scratch and simple operating procedures for research data stewardship.