The Equipment Data service collects and publishes data from UK universities and research facility equipment catalogues. This service has been recently upgraded to increase data quality and enable new use cases. This post outlines the changes to the service, what users need to do, further opportunities to build on the data and provides details of a webinar where users can hear more and provide feedback.
What’s new?
The service was upgraded in 2025 to meet new challenges and to maximise the value of the data. This upgrade aims to improve the discovery and visibility of research assets, to introduce the ability to cite and track the assets, and to create a market intelligence data resource to enable efficiencies for the sector. The upgrade includes a new service data model and a data management platform that allows users to manage their records, assign DOIs and publish their equipment data.
Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for equipment records:
The service now provides the capability to mint DataCite Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for research equipment. This has been informed by the Research Data Alliance (RDA) work on schema for Persistent Identifiers for Instruments (PIDINST). This functionality enables institutions to create persistent links between equipment investments and their resulting research outputs and publications.
Key benefits include:
- Ability to identify individual pieces of equipment enabling improved research reproducibility.
- Enhanced ability to evaluate the impact of equipment investments.
- Better tracking of research infrastructure utilisation through citations and online references
- Increased discovery of research equipment through international registries and citations
New data model and focus on data quality
The new data model allows the service to assign DOIs (as mentioned above) and facilitates new use cases such as the ability to cite and track the equipment assets. The model also allows adding key dates (commissioned and decommissioned dates) to support equipment lifecycle tracking.
In order to improve the data quality, we will need a real focus from institutions to start to provide data that meets this new specification, as well as updating existing records. Institutions play a pivotal role in building a robust dataset that can be used as an evidence base to provide sector efficiencies, market intelligence and will be a basis start to explore and build other value-added functions and services.
What’s next for 2025/6?
We plan to release the Public API, introduce an analytics module (MVP) for the data management platform and update the API workflows.
We are looking to explore what opportunities there might be to build on the upgrade to improve interoperability, data quality and citation of equipment in research outputs – such as:
- Improving data quality through integrations and automation e.g. integration with research platforms and enhancing records with data from funders and suppliers
- Opportunities for services based on market intelligence created by the upgrade e.g. procurement services for equipment and market intelligence data for equipment suppliers
How can you take part?
Already supplying data? Make sure you have updated your information on the institutions submission form and we will give you access to the data management platform. Please have a look at the user guide on how to supply data.
Wanting to supply data? If you are a new organisation wanting to supply the service with data, please register your details on the institutions submission form. Please have a look at our guidance on how to get involved.
If you need assistance with supplying data, please contact us at help@jisc.ac.uk with ‘Equipment Data’ in the subject line.
Join the Equipment Data Community User Group. This is a way to be kept informed on the latest developments and opportunities to take part in shaping the direction of the service.
We will be reaching out to colleagues to take part in the next phase to explore opportunities and get your input which will include webinars, workshops, interviews and surveys.
Webinar:
Join our webinar which will give an overview of the upgrade and an opportunity input into new ideas for potential integrations and new services.
Date: 3rd December 2025
Time: 10.00 to 11.30