Plan

The aim is to produce a complete holistic plan and infrastructure for research data management (RDM) in the University, making data generated by research at the University both available and discoverable with effective curation throughout the full data lifecycle in consultation with the researchers who produce it. Specific objectives are: to determine current practice and future requirements; to produce an institutional RDM policy informed by the results; to support that policy by integrating data management tools and support into a pilot data management infrastructure.

The project will be based around the production of an institutional research data management policy by the University Research Office. This policy will be supported by the production of user support and tools by the Digital Institute, Information Systems & Services and the Library. Project management will be performed by Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine (MEDEV).

Policy, systems and human support research data management infrastructure

Towards these, the following approach is planned:

  • a review of current policy and practice
  • identification of a suitable cross-section of researchers to participate in consultation with regards to policy
  • requirements gathering from researchers investigating data collection, analysis and sharing
  • drawing on the results of the survey, recommendations for a coherent framework of policy and practice in order to effect institutional research data management.
  • draft recommendations for a formal institutional data management policy and the initiation of the procedure for its formal approval and adoption by the University
  • in later work, exemplar research projects will be invited to test a pilot research data management infrastructure and its components
  • recommendations for the training and guidance infrastructure to support researchers in these policies and their use will be provided, together with embedding of good practice at the doctoral and postdoctoral level