Building an Inter-Institutional and Cross-Functional Research Data Management Community: From Strategy to Implementation

Abstract

With the release of the Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy (Government of Canada, 2021) in March 2021, all Canadian post-secondary institutions and research hospitals that administer Tri-Agency funding were required to develop and post institutional research data management (RDM) strategies by March 1, 2023. As institutions finalized their strategies, they began to consider what implementation would look like. To support inter-institutional, cross-functional dialogue around implementation, a two-day, SSHRC-supported workshop was hosted at the University of Waterloo in September 2023. Over 30 institutions of varying sizes and research intensities sent cohorts of three staff members—representing libraries, information technology, and research offices—to participate in five dialogues with researchers and key partners around challenges and collaborative solutions in RDM strategy implementation.

Through the dialogues, the participants made the following key high-level recommendations:

1. Provide clear expectations and communication around compliance, requirements and service provision 2. Secure buy-in from campus leadership 3. Identify financial support for RDM at institutions 4. Build staff capacity and support skills development, both within institutions and nationally 5. Create and sustain intra-institution coordination, collaboration and service integration around RDM 6. Explore inter-institution coordination and collaboration, including support for smaller institutions in meeting their RDM needs and requirements 7. Support the development of Indigenous Data Sovereignty policies and guidelines 8. Increase researcher training, support, and awareness around RDM 9. Develop national RDM support structures for collaboration and strategy, including a common understanding and language of RDM

These recommendations are relevant to a broad audience, including research funders, government agencies mandating and/or supporting RDM, professional organizations, academic consortia, university administration, researchers and practitioners.

The Waterloo workshop did not provide definitive answers as to how these recommendations should be implemented; rather, it was an opportunity to build a community of professionals from across RDM-supporting units who can work towards successful strategy implementation in their institutions. However, community is not enough. Institutions, research funders, and infrastructure providers must all commit to supporting RDM, whether through clear and timely guidance, sustainable resource provision, hiring and development of staff, or regular and robust training offerings. Ongoing, stable funding—both at the national and the institutional level—will also be necessary to ensure that support and services can be sustained for the long term. RDM is—and has always been—a shared responsibility, and all the parties mentioned above must step up to ensure that its implementation is a success in Canada.