DART: a new missile in Australia's e‐research strategy

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to provide a brief overview of the evolution of a new e‐research paradigm and to outline key projects and developments in Europe, North America, Canada and Australia. The article also provides a detailed summary of the Dataset Acquisition, Accessibility and Annotation e‐Research Technology (DART) project. Design/methodology/approach – A review of relevant government reports, documents and general literature was conducted. Findings – Projects currently being conducted in Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia are part of an international movement that aims to use modern ICTs to enhance e‐research. The DART project is a significant part of this movement as it has adopted a “whole process” approach to e‐research, and provides a platform for the examination of the technical, legal and policy issues that arise in the new e‐research environment. Originality/value – Provides an overview of current projects that concern the development of e‐research, with a particular focus on Australian research and the DART project.