Challenge
EUI’s Cadmus repository had grown into one of Europe’s leading academic resources. Yet, with technology evolving rapidly, it was time to modernise. The challenge was clear: upgrade to DSpace 7.6, migrate years of valuable research data, and create a platform that not only preserved the past but unlocked new possibilities for the future.
The upgrade needed to bring:
- An enhanced researcher experience.
- Seamless integration with institutional systems.
- Improved discoverability and global connectivity.
Solution
Atmire’s approach combined meticulous planning with deep DSpace expertise. Together with EUI, we designed a solution that strengthened the repository’s technical foundation and introduced new capabilities tailored to EUI’s scholarly mission.
Connecting people and publications
The introduction of Person entities transformed how Cadmus represents researchers. Authors are now connected to their works through rich metadata relationships and linked profiles. Each Person entity integrates with EUI’s Central Person Registry, allowing administrators to update records efficiently while maintaining data accuracy across the repository.
To make affiliation instantly clear, an EUI icon appears next to authors who are EUI-affiliated, so users can quickly identify EUI researchers across item pages and search results.
Research project entities
A Research Project entity brings together everything connected to a project in one place: the project title with links to all related publications, clearly displays the funder (e.g., European Commission), the funded under (e.g., Standard European Fellowships, HORIZON) and the specific grant agreement ID. It also lists the project team (person entities if applicable), so readers can see who is involved and navigate to each person’s profile and outputs. This structure lets users move seamlessly from project → people → outputs in a single, coherent view.
Integrating ORCID seamlessly
To strengthen international research visibility, Atmire developed a custom ORCID integration. Authors can now connect their ORCID in just a few clicks, with automated publication pushes, nightly updates, and gentle reminders that help maintain compliance. Existing ORCID connections were preserved during migration, ensuring a smooth transition for more than a thousand users.
Enhancing researcher workflows
The new CSL Citation Generator allows users to export citations in a wide variety of styles instantly, supporting both researchers and librarians.
For administrative users, the enhanced Listings & Reports feature enables flexible, configurable exports, perfect for institutional reporting and editorial workflows.
Enriching the user experience
The integration with Syndetics brings visual appeal and accessibility to Cadmus. Book covers and thumbnails now appear automatically where available, adding polish and engagement to each publication page.
Delivering richer insights
To help EUI better understand how its research is being accessed and used, Atmire introduced enhanced usage statistics and reporting tools.
These new dashboards provide detailed analytics on views and downloads, giving administrators meaningful insight into repository performance and helping guide future strategic decisions.
Integrations as a discovery engine
Cadmus is tightly integrated with the wider scholarly ecosystem. designed to maximize reach by plugging into the services researchers and librarians already use. Cadmus integrates author IDs via ORCID, ensures funder and OA compliance through OpenAIRE, and feeds full-text and metadata to discovery aggregators like CORE, Jisc services, RePEc, and WorldCat. Metadata is structured for seamless indexing by Google and Google Scholar, improving visibility and citation pathways. Together, these connections turn Cadmus into a hub where EUI outputs are captured once and distributed widely, reducing manual work for librarians while boosting discovery for scholars and the public.
Results
The upgraded Cadmus repository launched successfully and now provides EUI’s academic community with a platform that’s as robust as it is intuitive.
- Modern, connected, and researcher-centric. A clean interface, deeper author linkages, and ORCID connectivity elevate discoverability.
- Reliable and future-ready. The new system architecture ensures scalability and alignment with evolving standards such as OpenAIRE and Plan S.
- Empowering collaboration. Administrators can manage, report, and update records more efficiently than ever before.
Cadmus today stands as a showcase of how an institutional repository can evolve, combining trusted technology with thoughtful customisation to serve a global research community.
A shared vision for the future
For Atmire, the EUI collaboration highlights what makes great partnerships thrive: mutual trust, transparency, and a shared commitment to excellence.
With Cadmus now redesigned, EUI is well-positioned for the future, and Atmire remains a dedicated partner, ready to support its continued growth and innovation.