Outline of some of the opportunities and risks driving universities in the UK to develop services aiming to help researchers manage their data. Gives an overview of funder policies and service components, and suggests where these are heading in the short term.

1. Institutional Support for Research Data Management
Why, what, and where next? A UK perspective
Digital Science Webinar 5 May 2015
Angus Whyte a.whyte@dcc.ac.uk
because good research needs good
data
Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 UK: Scotland.

2. Data science, metadata standards, shared services
Obsolescence, siloed and unexploited data
Demonstrate good practice, research integrity
Non-compliance, legal risks, reputational damage
Professional development, sector leadership
Disengagement from researchers, staff, community
RDM opportunities and risks for institutions
Funding potential from better research environment
Loss of assets, funding inefficient, unidentifiable costs
Trustworthy services, enabling citation, collaboration
Unrecognised effort, low awareness, poor practices

3. Overview of UK Funder Data Policies
Source: Overview of funders’ data policies, available at: www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/policy-and-legal/overview-funders-data-policies
Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council mandates institutions to provide services

4. Skills training & consultancy
Policy and strategy Business planning
Data Mgmt Planning
Managing active dataData cataloguing
Governing access & reuseData preservation
Source: DCC Institutional RDM Survey 2014 (61 responses, n=130 research active institutions)
Initiating
Requirements
Piloting
Rolling out
Embedding
What services… and how quickly?

5. Directions of travel
 UK funder policy
harmonization &
Horizon 2020
Guidelines
 More awareness of cost
models and guidance
 Platforms more capable
and connected
• Link data publications
& code
• Find data across
repositories
 More institutional
support to help them
• Develop – share
useful exemplars
• Deliver – address the
right questions with
guidance, workflows
& checklists
Policy Economic
Stake-
holders
Cultural
Infrastructural
 More awareness of
reputational advantage

6. ‘Progress has little to do with speed, but much
to do with direction’ (anon.)
Thank you!
Further DCC reference: resources, events, tailored support