The last weeks of 2024 marked a big step for the CDS team and all CDS users: the first migration of CDS content to a new version of the platform—we have just completed the migration of the first collection—Summer Student Programme reports. We can now consider the CERN repository a production service.

This moment is historic not only for our service, but also for CERN.

A bit of history…

CDS was established over 20 years ago as the institutional repository of CERN, tasked with archiving, preserving, and disseminating the organization’s research output, administrative documents, and multimedia. It is powered by the Invenio framework version 1, which has also been adopted by numerous repositories worldwide.

While CDS has dutifully served the CERN community for many years, it has become evident that it requires a refresh in terms of user experience and available features to meet the demands of 2025 and future.

Drawing from the successful experience gained with Zenodo, we have developed InvenioRDM: a versatile digital repository designed for researchers. InvenioRDM has been created collaboratively with over 20 partners around the globe, and incorporates all the best FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) practices, offering a modern user experience.

The CERN repository: a new CDS

Screenshot of the new CDS website

The CDS platform, currently accessible at https://repository.cern, serves as a new version of previous CDS website and is built on InvenioRDM.

Over the forthcoming months, our focus will be on tailoring it to suit the requirements of an Institutional Repository while integrating features specific to CERN. In parallel, we will migrate the content of each collection, one by one, until the end.

How?

We have developed a migration plan spanning 2024 and 2025, with a subsequent phase planned for 2026. This long and complex migration, set to unfold over several years, will be guided by three core principles:

  • Engage: before initiating the migration of any collaboration using CDS, we will actively engage with its members. Our goal is to ensure a smooth transition that meets the needs of each community without disrupting their work. We will thoroughly analyze use cases and collaboratively establish timelines.
  • Simplify: we aim to make submitting content easier and more intuitive. By empowering users with tools to independently organize and curate their materials, we will enhance the overall user experience.
  • Standardize: we will adopt standardized content metadata practices to align with FAIR principles and Open Science best practices

Next steps

When will my content be migrated? Where should I upload new documents? Who should I contact?
Don’t worry—these are questions we plan to answer together with you. We are committed to working closely with all content owners in CDS, gradually engaging with each group to share our plans and shape the future collaboratively.

Following the successful migration of the Summer Student reports, we’ve validated our migration processes and pipelines. Building on this success, we are now ready to tackle more complex challenges, with the next milestone being the migration of CERN Theses.

In parallel, we aim to explore the feasibility of bulk migrating content from small and medium experiments. Additionally, we plan to prototype a new review and comment workflow to address the needs of most users.

Keeping You in the Loop

This migration is an ongoing learning process, and we haven’t figured everything out yet! Your support and feedback are crucial to our success.

We’ve recently started documenting our migration journey and compiling information on a dedicated website, which is continuously evolving. Additionally, we’ll keep sharing updates and news right here.

If you have questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re here to help.