Current Research Information System in Montenegro

GENERAL INFORMATION

In Europe, information systems with the generic name CRIS (Current Research Information Systems) have been built for decades. In the past, the integration and expansion of CRIS were often made difficult by uncoordinated methodologies. For this reason, in recent times there has been a strong tendency to move towards standardisation. CERIF: a Common European Research Information Format, maintained and developed by euroCRIS, is one of the universally accepted recommendations for the structure of research data.
In compliance with the CERIF recommendations, the web application E-CRIS was developed at the Institute of Information Science in Maribor (IZUM) which offered it to all users of COBISS applications within the COBISS.Net network free of charge in order to establish in individual countries, as comprehensive as possible, the register of research and development providers. The register is essential for research monitoring and evaluation. National CRIS systems are linked to national COBISS library information systems, thus allowing direct access to the bibliographies of researchers and institutions. National E-CRIS systems include interconnected databases comprising data on research organisations, researchers and research projects. Most of the data is in English.
During the trial period from 2006 to 2008, initial data on researchers and research organisations in Montenegro was collected and entered into E-CRIS.CG by the University Library in Podgorica. Nowadays, E-CRIS.CG is respectively linked to the COBISS.CG current research information system and its COBIB.CG database. The latter comprises bibliographic records for researchers' bibliographies, which have already been created by some libraries in Montenegro.
Since 1 January 2009, the E-CRIS.CG system has been managed by the Ministry of Education and Science functioning as the National E-CRIS Centre. At the same time, also the methodology of data collecting and updating has been changed.

The following entities are currently presented in E-CRIS.CG:

• researchers
• research organisations

ENTRY CONDITIONS

Data on research or development providers in Montenegro is entered into the E-CRIS.CG information system provided that they meet the following conditions:

• Researcher is a natural person holding at least a university degree, who carries out research or development and undertakes to manage his/her bibliography in the COBISS.CG system.
• Research organisation is either a university or its organisational unit (faculty, institute, etc.), or any other legal entity of a public or private sector with registered research or development activities in Podgorica) and at least one researcher employed.

Data entry into the E-CRIS.CG system is mandatory for research organisations and researchers participating in the publicly funded research projects. It is, however, desirable that the E-CRIS.CG system includes all research and development providers in Montenegro and thus contributes to their promotion and collaboration on the national and international level.
The entry of data to the E-CRIS.CG system does not mean that an organisation (or a researcher) meets the conditions required to carry out the projects financed from the budget and determined by the Ministry of Education and Science.