Open Scientific Collections Austria (OSCA)—from concept to workflows
The Open Scientific Collections Austria (OSCA) consortium consists of 14 museums, universities, and scientific institutions in Austria holding outstanding scientific collections. These collections document Earth’s biological and geological diversity and serve as essential resources for research on global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental change. Despite recent advances in digitization, large portions of collection data remain inaccessible due to limited funding and technical capacity. OSCA aims to mobilize, harmonize, and provide Austria’s natural science collection data based on the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable). By building a shared infrastructure, the consortium fosters collaboration among institutions and ensures the long-term preservation and accessibility of valuable scientific data. This paper outlines the structure and objectives of the OSCA consortium, introduces its participating institutions, and presents its cooperative model and data infrastructure. Unlocking Austria’s natural science collections and metadata by integrating them into an interconnected virtual information system transforms them into a dynamic and powerful research tool. This approach enhances the visibility and usability of Austria’s scientific heritage and enables interdisciplinary research with significant scientific, societal, and economic relevance.
Authors
- Cristian-Dan Bara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3991-104X)
- Nikolaus Schallhart (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5842-7041)
- Roland K. Eberwein (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1485-216X)
- Katrin Vohland
- Astrid Scharfetter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9477-9251)
- Hermann Voglmayr (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7666-993X)
- Davide Di Franco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4595-839X)
- Kurt Zernig (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0429-044X)
- Peter Othmar Bilovitz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9845-2416)
- Alexander Weinmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7999-0486)
- Konrad Pagitz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0536-1708)
- Frederike Korth (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7370-4135)
- Michael Malicky (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8001-1410)
- Evelyn Kustatscher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0300-0175)
- Nikolaus U. Szucsich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8945-5153)
- Simon Engelberger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6344-2338)
- Romed Unterasinger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2571-6326)
- Daniela Festi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1250-4815)
- Heimo Rainer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5963-349X)
- Peter H. Kaufmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2611-5071)
- J. Georg Friebe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1468-6002)
- Andreas Tribsch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5081-1675)
- Martin Götzl
- Christian Bräuchler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6176-1669)
- Stefan Kwitt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8347-8461)
- Nora Bses (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0324-4470)
- Anette Herburger
- Ronald Lintner
- Nedim Begic (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0477-2057)
- Dominique Groffman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5040-3364)
- Aylin Durmaz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6449-4917)
Institutions
- Natural History Museum Vienna (AT)
- University of Vienna (AT)
- University of Graz (AT)
- University of Salzburg (AT)
- Universität Innsbruck (AT)
- Klinikum Klagenfurt (AT)
- Space Research Institute (AT)
- Haus der Natur - Museum für Natur und Technik (AT)
- Environment Agency Austria (AT)
- Tyrolean Cancer Research Institute (AT)
- Government of Lower Austria (AT)
- Universitätsklinikum St. Pölten (AT)
- Carinthian Economic Promotion Fund (AT)
- Inatura (AT)
- GeoSphere Austria
- BOKU University (AT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Natural History Collections and Museomics
- Published
- 2025-11-13
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3897/nhcm.2.169440
- Primary Topic
- Research Data Management Practices
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00