The DataCite Registered Service Providers (RSP) Program strengthens the global research ecosystem by enabling trusted partners to deliver DataCite services locally and at scale. DataCite RSPs help institutions adopt persistent identifiers by enabling DOI registration, improving research metadata quality, and connectivity. This localized support expands access and builds capacity across regions, advancing DataCite’s vision of a global community where all research outputs and resources are openly available, connected, and discoverable.

PCG Academia and DataCite are pleased to announce that PCG Academia is now a DataCite Registered Service Provider strengthening DataCite infrastructure among DSpace communities and users. 

PCG Academia, based in Poland, provides repository services that support universities in managing, preserving, and showcasing their research outputs in a structured and sustainable way. Their platform enables institutions to collect and organise a wide range of scholarly materials, improving access and long-term visibility of academic content. By working with universities, PCG Academia helps strengthen institutional research infrastructure, enhance discoverability of outputs, and support better research management and dissemination practices across higher education institutions. 

As a DataCite Registered Service Provider, PCG Academia software integrates with the DataCite REST API, allowing DataCite Members and Consortium Organizations to register DOIs using their DataCite credentials. In order to gain this recognition, PCG Academia had to meet requirements and follow best practices meant to ensure that integrations register DataCite DOIs accurately with rich metadata.

Integrating PCG Academia DSpace Repository Solutions with DataCite Infrastructure  

PCG Academia’s DataCite integration is based on DSpace’s native DOI provider functionality, which PCG Academia configures and operates for each client repository as part of its platform deployment and management services. This connects the repository directly to the DataCite REST API, allowing institutions to register and manage DOIs for datasets, publications, and other research outputs from within their DSpace repository, using their own DataCite credentials. 

The integration maps DSpace metadata to DataCite’s schema, ensuring DOIs are registered with accurate and standards-compliant metadata. PCG Academia configured and rolled out this integration, among others, for the University of Zurich’s ZORA repository as part of its repository platform migration to DSpace. 

A dissertation in the University of Zurich’s ZORA repository supported by a DataCite DOI.

The DataCite Membership Experience: Tracking Impact and Improving Metadata Quality  

As part of the DataCite membership experience, members gain access to services and platforms such as DataCite Commons to track usage, citations, and research connections, helping them understand research outputs within a broader context. DataCite Members can also use the DataCite Metadata Dashboards to assess metadata quality, identify improvement opportunities, and enhance the discoverability and impact of their research outputs.

Source: DataCite Metadata Dashboards for University of Zurich, https://metadata.datacite.org/kadq

Source: DataCite Commons for University of Zurich, https://commons.datacite.org/ror.org/02crff812

Recently, Mohamad Mostafa, Community Specialist at DataCite, and Małgorzata Paszkowska, Key Account Manager and Project Manager at PCG Academia, joined DSpace Lab Days to discuss how DataCite DOIs support modern research infrastructure and open science workflows. The session featured an introduction to DataCite services for institutional repositories, followed by a live demonstration of the DSpace integration, including DOI registration and metadata export. You can watch the recording here.  

DataCite welcomes PCG Academia as a DataCite Registered Service Provider and looks forward to seeing this implementation adopted and used by the DataCite community. If you have questions about working with a DataCite Registered Service Provider, joining the program, or exploring the best membership pathway for your organization to become part of the DataCite community, please contact the DataCite team.