Duke University Libraries has completed a platform migration of the Duke Research Data Repository (RDR), moving its general-purpose, open-access data repository from the Hyrax/Samvera stack onto TIND RDM, a research-data-management platform built by TIND, a company founded by former CERN researchers. Duke Libraries describes the new version, branded RDR 2.0, as bringing ‘smoother deposit workflows and new tools for managing and sharing research data.’
What changed, and what didn’t
Duke selected TIND RDM in June 2025 after an evaluation process, following an announcement on the Duke University Libraries blog. New deposits were paused in mid-February 2026 while records were migrated, with deposit services resuming shortly after. The repository remains reachable at the same base address, research.repository.duke.edu, though individual dataset landing-page URLs have changed under the new platform.
Duke Libraries has been explicit that persistent identifiers were preserved through the migration: existing DataCite DOIs continue to resolve, and every dataset keeps a single, stable landing page rather than being split across the old and new systems. That continuity matters for a repository whose core value proposition, like any data management plan-linked repository, depends on datasets remaining citable and findable indefinitely, not just at the moment of deposit.
New capabilities for depositors
According to Duke Libraries’ own description of RDR 2.0, researchers depositing data now get:
- A submission dashboard for tracking the status of deposits in progress
- A versioning module that lets depositors update a dataset and mint a new, linked DataCite DOI for each version rather than overwriting the original
- In-browser file preview for common formats, reducing the need to download a file just to check its contents
- Multiple citation-style export options for referencing a dataset
- Expanded support for linking datasets to depositor ORCID iDs and institutional Research Organization Registry (ROR) identifiers, alongside the existing DataCite DOI assignment
On the workflow side, smaller datasets can now be uploaded directly through the web interface rather than via a Box link, while Globus transfer remains the path for larger deposits. Files intended for a single dataset must be flat or pre-packaged into folders before upload, and each dataset resolves to one landing page under the new structure. Duke Libraries says staff curation review before publication, the repository’s preservation and retention policy, and existing embargo functionality for datasets with a delayed release are all unchanged by the migration.
Why an institution would move off Hyrax/Samvera
RDR 2.0 is a small but concrete data point in a broader pattern worth tracking for anyone who manages an institutional repository: research libraries re-platforming general-purpose data repositories off older Samvera/Hyrax-family infrastructure and onto newer, purpose-built research-data-management systems. TIND RDM is one option in that space; InvenioRDM, the CERN-originated open-source RDM framework that also underlies Zenodo, is another that a number of universities have adopted directly. Both trace at least part of their engineering lineage to repository work done at CERN, though TIND RDM and InvenioRDM are separate, differently-governed platforms and shouldn’t be conflated. For research-data-management staff evaluating a repository platform migration, Duke’s public documentation of its own move, including a video walkthrough and staff presentation referenced in the library’s announcement, is a useful case to review alongside the underlying DataCite metadata schema requirements any DOI-minting repository has to meet.
What this means for depositors with existing datasets
Researchers who deposited data in the previous version of the RDR do not need to take action to preserve access: DOIs continue to resolve, and Duke Libraries’ curation team (reachable at [email protected]) remains available to help with deposit preparation and questions about the new interface. Duke Libraries has published a dedicated blog post and video tour walking through the new deposit workflow for depositors who want a guided introduction before their next submission.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Duke Research Data Repository still open to all Duke researchers?
Yes. The RDR remains a general, open-access repository for research data and supplemental files such as spreadsheets, protocols, field sheets, analysis scripts, and images; it is not intended for sensitive or restricted data, which Duke directs to separate, controlled-access services.
Do existing DOIs still work after the migration?
Duke Libraries states that DOIs issued for datasets in the previous system continue to resolve, even though the underlying dataset landing-page URL has changed under TIND RDM.
Is TIND RDM the same platform as Zenodo or InvenioRDM?
No. TIND RDM is a commercial product from TIND, a company founded by former CERN staff. Zenodo is a hosted service operated by CERN itself and built on InvenioRDM, a separate CERN-originated open-source framework. The two platforms share some intellectual lineage but are distinct products with different governance.
