Figshare is online digital repository designed for academic researchers. The research data management platform was developed to address the specific needs of academic institutions to store research data securely. The platform has piloted at institutions in the U.K., Australasia and mainland Europe, supporting their needs for better storage, preservation, accessibility and publication of the outputs produced by their researchers. Functionality includes portals that showcase research of an institution or department, ability to group content into collections, data curation and administrative workflows and flexible storage options.
The system satisfies institutions’ needs for better management and control of research outputs while complying with funders’ open data mandates. It integrates into existing workflows, offers institutional single-sign-on systems and focuses on simplicity. The ‘collections’ functionality allows any openly available Figshare content to be grouped together as one citable unit, giving institutions and researchers a new way to organize and present related material.