When setting up the e-Depot in 2003, the Koninklijke Bibliotheek/National Library of the Netherlands (KB) created two separate organisational units: the e-Depot Department which is responsible for the operational management of the repository, and a separate Digital Preservation Department to carry out research and development. These research tasks include technology watch, (inter)national collaboration and the study of all preservation aspects in relation to the e-Depot, such as metadata, file format research, ingest control and the development of strategies for permanent access.