CoreTrustSeal
CoreTrustSeal is a Dutch non-profit foundation that certifies trustworthy data repositories worldwide through community peer review against 16 mandatory requirements, serving 160 repositories with an EUR 3,000 administrative fee per application on a 3-year recertification cycle.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersThe Hague, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CoreTrustSeal does
CoreTrustSeal is a community-based non-profit foundation (Stichting) registered under Dutch law, headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, that provides a globally recognized core-level certification for trustworthy data repositories. Founded in 2017 through the merger of the Data Seal of Approval (DSA) and the World Data System (WDS) Regular Member certification under the auspices of the Research Data Alliance, the organization defines and maintains 16 mandatory requirements for trustworthy data repositories, aligned with the OAIS reference model (ISO 14721:2012), and updates them on a triennial cycle (currently 2026-2028). Certification is delivered through an online Application Management Tool (AMT) where applicant repositories submit self-assessments that are reviewed by volunteer peers from the Assembly of Reviewers (110+ qualified reviewers drawn from certified repositories), with final approval by the elected 12-member CoreTrustSeal Board.
The core product surface consists of the Requirements document, Extended Guidance, a Glossary, training resources (including YouTube-hosted introductory videos on each requirement), and a publicly archived registry of all approved certifications hosted on DataverseNL. The organization monetizes exclusively through administrative fees — EUR 3,000 per application as of February 2024 (raised from EUR 2,000) — with discounts for institutions that supply reviewers (-33%) and for umbrella organizations certifying 10+ repositories (-25%), plus discretionary waivers for repositories in Low and Middle Income Countries. Reviewers and board members serve on a voluntary basis; the distributed Secretariat is staffed by personnel hosted at partner organizations including Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS, Netherlands), the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON, South Africa), and the Odum Institute. The customer base comprises 160 certified data repositories globally, with downstream demand driven by research funders and policymakers that increasingly mandate deposit of funded research data in trustworthy repositories consistent with FAIR data principles.
The business is small and stable: the organization employs approximately 5 people, generates sub-$1M in fee revenue annually, and reinvests all proceeds into operations, training materials, and triennial requirements reviews. There is no external institutional investment or ownership. Recent strategic activity has focused on standard maturation (the 2026-2028 requirements cycle), operational frameworks (endorsement of a repository cessation risk framework in 2026), and partnership deepening with FAIR-aligned European projects (FAIRsFAIR, FAIR-IMPACT) rather than commercial expansion.
CoreTrustSeal firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CoreTrustSeal
- Legal name
- CoreTrustSeal Foundation
- Website
- https://coretrustseal.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CoreTrustSeal is a Dutch non-profit foundation that certifies trustworthy data repositories worldwide through community peer review against 16 mandatory requirements, serving 160 repositories with an EUR 3,000 administrative fee per application on a 3-year recertification cycle.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CoreTrustSeal industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Data Repository Certification
- NAICS
- Libraries and Archives (51921)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Transcript, Score Reporting & Verification/Credential Wallet Platforms (EDAFADAO)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Credential, Education & Professional License Verification (BPAKAEAI)
Keywords
Where CoreTrustSeal is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- The Hague
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
CoreTrustSeal business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Administrative Fees: Primary revenue stream from administrative fees charged to applicants for processing certification reviews. Fee is EUR 3,000 per application as of February 2024. Covers operation, maintenance, and development of the CoreTrustSeal certification service, including training materials for reviewers. Reviewers conduct assessments on a voluntary basis without remuneration.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Standard Application Fee |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Reviewers Discount (-33%) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Umbrella Organization Discount (-25%) |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Fee Waiver |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
CoreTrustSeal product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CoreTrustSeal issues a peer-reviewed certification and trust mark for trustworthy digital data repositories, evaluating applicants against 16 mandatory CoreTrustSeal Requirements covering organizational infrastructure, digital object management, and technological/preservation sustainability. Successful repositories receive the CoreTrustSeal trust mark, which is maintained through reassessment and is formally recognized by funders, infrastructure bodies, and the Research Data Alliance.
Product overview
CoreTrustSeal offers a single core-level certification service for trustworthy data repositories, built around the CoreTrustSeal Requirements (16 mandatory criteria) and supported by an online Application Management Tool (AMT). The certification involves repositories conducting self-assessments reviewed by community peers, resulting in a 3-year certification. Supporting products include Extended Guidance, Glossaries, and training resources (YouTube videos, reviewer quiz). All certified repositories are publicly archived in DataverseNL. The organization operates on triennial requirements cycles (currently 2026-2028) and maintains community engagement through open consultations and discussion papers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CoreTrustSeal Certification A peer-reviewed certification and trust mark for trustworthy digital data repositories, awarded after an application is reviewed against the 16 CoreTrustSeal Requirements by Certified Reviewers via the CoreTrustSeal AMT, with reassessment required to maintain certification.
- CoreTrustSeal Trustworthy Data Repositories Requirements 2026–2028 The 16 mandatory Requirements (plus Extended Guidance) that define the CoreTrustSeal certification criteria, organized under Organizational Infrastructure, Digital Object Management, and Technological and Infrastructure Sustainability, aligned with the OAIS model and FAIR principles.
- CoreTrustSeal Application Management Tool (AMT) An online platform where applicants prepare and submit their certification, reviewers access submissions, and certified repositories are published in a public CoreTrustSeal Certified Repositories Dataverse registry.
Quantifiable outcome
- 160 certified repositories globally
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use CoreTrustSeal
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CoreTrustSeal technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
CoreTrustSeal partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and historical.
- FAIRsFAIR ProjectcoreCoreTrustSeal cooperates with and supports the FAIRsFAIR project. CoreTrustSeal-certified repositories are vital components in enabling FAIR Data Principles, ensuring and enhancing 'FAIRness' of data over the long term.
- FAIR-IMPACT ProjectcoreCoreTrustSeal cooperates with and supports the FAIR-IMPACT project. Board continues to engage in FAIR-related initiatives to ensure CoreTrustSeal certification addresses community needs for core-level certification.
- Research Data Alliance (RDA)coreCoreTrustSeal mission was endorsed by the Research Data Alliance and the wider community to provide a single sustainable 'core' route for repository data service requirements and certification. The Repository Audit and Certification DSA-WDS Partnership Working Group produced the Core Trustworthy Data Repositories Requirements as RDA Recommendations.
- Data Seal of Approval (DSA)historicalDSA was one of the two original certification standards that merged to form CoreTrustSeal in 2017. Developed in 2008 by DANS to help ensure archived data can be found, understood, and used in the future. All DSA certifications transitioned to CoreTrustSeal.
- World Data System (WDS)historicalWDS Regular Member Certification was merged with DSA to form CoreTrustSeal. WDS creates worldwide 'communities of excellence' for scientific data services. Since July 2017, organizations must be CoreTrustSeal certified before showing WDS membership adherence.
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS)coreDANS hosts CoreTrustSeal Secretariat staff (Lisa de Leeuw as Head of Secretariat and Finances), provides in-kind contributions, and is the original developer of the Data Seal of Approval. Multiple DANS staff serve on the Board and Assembly of Reviewers.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CoreTrustSeal competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- DataCite: DataCite provides DOIs and metadata services for research data, sitting in the same FAIR/research data infrastructure stack as CoreTrustSeal-certified repositories. Both are enabling layers that data repositories rely on for trustworthiness and discoverability.
- re3data.org: re3data is a global registry of research data repositories, many of which are CoreTrustSeal-certified. As a complementary registry and discovery layer, it indexes and surfaces CTS-certified repositories to researchers.
Broad incumbents
- Research Data Alliance (RDA): RDA endorsed CoreTrustSeal and produced the original Requirements as Recommendations. As the convening body for research data infrastructure stakeholders, RDA shapes the policy and standards landscape in which CTS operates.
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS): DANS is a Dutch data archive that hosts the CoreTrustSeal Secretariat and originally developed the predecessor Data Seal of Approval. As a major research data archive, it is both a strategic partner and a comparable operator in the same ecosystem.
- World Data System (WDS): WDS is an ISC body promoting scientific data services excellence. WDS Regular Member Certification merged with DSA to form CoreTrustSeal in 2017. WDS continues as a community-level accreditation body serving overlapping data repository constituents.
Regional players
- LOCKSS (Stanford Libraries): LOCKSS is a peer-to-peer digital preservation system used by libraries worldwide. Many LOCKSS-using libraries are within the universe of CTS-certified repositories, making it a comparable preservation technology provider in adjacent segments.
- Portico: Portico is a US-based digital preservation service for scholarly content, providing trusted repository services. Comparable as a preservation-focused organization serving the same scholarly community that CoreTrustSeal-certified repositories support.
- CLOCKSS: CLOCKSS is a Stanford-based dark archive for scholarly content, with community-governed preservation similar in spirit to CTS-certified repositories. Both serve long-term digital preservation for designated communities but differ in scope (content vs. certification).
Direct peers
- International Organization for Standardization (ISO 16363): ISO 16363 is the formal-level certification standard for trustworthy digital repositories. It sits above CoreTrustSeal as a higher-tier alternative, targeting the same repository customer base but with deeper audit requirements.
- nestor (nestor-Seal / DIN 31644): German-based certification framework for trustworthy digital long-term archives (DIN 31644). nestor-Seal is the higher-tier complement to CoreTrustSeal, both addressing digital preservation trustworthiness for similar repository customer types.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CoreTrustSeal social profiles
Digital presenceCoreTrustSeal financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CoreTrustSeal leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
CoreTrustSeal funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CoreTrustSeal M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CoreTrustSeal
What does CoreTrustSeal do?
CoreTrustSeal issues a peer-reviewed certification and trust mark for trustworthy digital data repositories, evaluating applicants against 16 mandatory CoreTrustSeal Requirements covering organizational infrastructure, digital object management, and technological/preservation sustainability. Successful repositories receive the CoreTrustSeal trust mark, which is maintained through reassessment and is formally recognized by funders, infrastructure bodies, and the Research Data Alliance.
Is CoreTrustSeal a public or private company?
CoreTrustSeal is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was CoreTrustSeal founded?
CoreTrustSeal was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CoreTrustSeal based?
CoreTrustSeal is headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does CoreTrustSeal make money?
One revenue line is on record: administrative Fees.
Who are CoreTrustSeal's main competitors?
Others on record are DataCite and re3data.org. Broad incumbents are Research Data Alliance (RDA), Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) and World Data System (WDS). Regional players are LOCKSS (Stanford Libraries), Portico and CLOCKSS. Direct peers are International Organization for Standardization (ISO 16363) and nestor (nestor-Seal / DIN 31644).
Does CoreTrustSeal have an API?
No public API is recorded for CoreTrustSeal.
What industry is CoreTrustSeal in?
CoreTrustSeal's product category is Data Repository Certification. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFADAO, Transcript, Score Reporting & Verification/Credential Wallet Platforms, with a secondary code of BPAKAEAI, Credential, Education & Professional License Verification. Its NAICS code is 51921 and its SIC code is 7370.