PCG Academia is commencing cooperation with the Ostschweizer Fachhochschule (Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences) – the third Swiss institution to choose the DSpace platform as the foundation for developing its research infrastructure. Switzerland has long been recognised as a benchmark for quality, innovation, and openness in science, which makes the opportunity to deliver this project for such a prestigious institution especially meaningful to us.

Project Scope and Objectives

The goal of the initiative is to create a modern repository of scholarly output and a CRIS system that will become a central component of OST’s research infrastructure – a hub for storing publications, managing research data, supporting scientific activities, and implementing Open Science policies.

The project includes the development of a complete repository and CRIS system tailored to OST’s processes, as well as full integration with the Academ system and the institution’s data bus, enabling secure and automated data exchange. A crucial element of the project is ensuring compliance with the highest security standards defined in the Swiss Data Protection Act (DSG), along with the design of a modern, accessible interface aligned with WCAG 2.2 AA and the eCH-0059 standard. The system will fully support Open Science principles, including DOI, ORCID, Creative Commons licences, and the OAI-PMH protocol.

The scope of cooperation covers all key stages of designing an advanced research repository – from pre-implementation analysis, data architecture design, and UX/UI preparation, through configuration and customisation of DSpace CRIS, including workflows, user roles, and access mechanisms, to the creation of a responsive interface meeting the highest accessibility standards.

As part of the project, integrations will be developed with OST systems such as Academ, the data bus, DOI, ORCID, and OAI-PMH. The implementation will also include an advanced search engine with statistics and full-text filtering, as well as a multi-stage data migration process covering extraction, transformation, and validation. The project will conclude with system launch, administrator and user training, and comprehensive post-go-live support.

The project is scheduled to begin in December 2025, with system implementation and production launch planned for June 2026. In the months that follow, PCG Academia will continue to provide operational support and system development in close collaboration with the OST team.

Growing Presence of PCG Academia in the Swiss Education Market

We are honoured to be contributing to the development of modern research infrastructure at the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences and grateful for the trust placed in us by yet another Swiss institution, alongside the University of Zurich and the University of Neuchâtel, with whom we have been cooperating since 2024. We believe that together we will create a solution that not only strengthens OST’s position in the scientific community but also fully aligns with European and global standards for Open Science and interoperability.

About Ostschweizer Fachhochschule (OST)

The Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST) is one of the leading universities of applied sciences in Switzerland, operating across three campuses: St. Gallen, Rapperswil-Jona, and Buchs. The university educates around 3,800 undergraduate and graduate students and offers continuing education programmes to an additional 1,500 learners. With over 1,000 active research projects, OST is a key centre for education, research, and lifelong learning in eastern Switzerland.