CaSDaR Townhall Launch: Event Report

Careers and Skills for Data-driven Research (CaSDaR) A UKRI Digital Research Technical Professional Skills Network+ Grant number: UKRI739 CaSDaR Townhall Launch 18th September 2025 The Library of Birmingham and Online In Alphabetical Order: James Baker, Simon Coles, Simon Hettrick, Samantha Pearman-Kanza, Louise Saul, Isobel Stark December 4, 2025 Contents 1 Executive Summary 4 2 Session 1: Introducing CaSDaR 5 2.1 Summary ...................................... 5 3 Session 2: Data Steward Stories 7 3.1 Summary ...................................... 7 3.2 Presenters ..................................... 7 3.3 Session outcomes ................................ 7 3.4 Session evaluation ................................ 8 4 Session 3: Project Partners Panel discussion 10 4.1 Summary ...................................... 10 4.2 Presenters ..................................... 11 4.3 Session outcomes ................................ 11 4.4 Session evaluation ................................ 11 5 Session 4: Community Discussion and Consultation 12 5.1 Summary ...................................... 12 5.2 Presenters ..................................... 12 5.3 Session outcomes ................................ 12 5.3.1 Attendee Demographics ....................... 12 5.3.2 Opportunities for career progression within the community 13 5.3.3 Preference for naming of the Data Stewardship role ..... 13 5.3.4 Co-development of the definition of Data Steward ...... 14 5.3.5 Identification of events for the community ............ 15 5.3.6 Requirements for training in the community ........... 16 5.4 Session evaluation ................................ 18 6 Session 5: Other Data Steward initiatives 19 6.1 Summary ...................................... 19 6.2 Presenters ..................................... 19 6.3 Session outcomes ................................ 20 6.3.1 Jenny O’Neill from Sonraí ....................... 20 6.3.2 Emma Karoune from The Turing Way ................ 20 6.3.3 James Wilson from UCL-ARC ..................... 21 6.3.4 Tristan Martin from the University of Manchester ........ 21 6.3.5 Michael Bearpark from SCALE-UP ................. 21 6.3.6 Kevin Ashley from DCC ......................... 22 i CONTENTS ii 6.4 Session evaluation ................................ 22 7 Session 6: Lightning talks - results of Data Stewardship projects 23 7.1 Summary ...................................... 23 7.2 Presenters ..................................... 23 7.3 Session outcomes ................................ 23 7.3.1 Elizabeth Newbold: Career Tracks for Data Stewards ..... 24 7.3.2 Catherine Jones: Data Sharing challenges for Energy Modellers: outcomes of a workshop ................... 24 7.3.3 Ric Campbell: First Sheffield then the North: Creation of Research Data Stewards Networks .................. 24 7.3.4 David Leaver: Data Stewardship in an Environmental Research Centre: the UKCEH model .................. 25 7.3.5 Phil Reed: DIRECT Framework: UK Community Development of a Research Technical Professionals Skills Framework . . . . 25 7.4 Session evaluation ................................ 26 8 Informing CaSDaR’s future work 27 Event Agenda The event was held at The Library of Birmingham on the 18th September 2025, with hybrid attendance. Table 1 shows the number of people in attendance, both physical and virtual. Tickets Sign-Ups Attendance Physical 98 75 Virtual 189 90 (initially, then dropped to 60 after lunch) Table 1: Number of people in attendance, both physical and virtual Category In-person Remote Academic/Research Leadership 7 5 Academic/Research roles 20 26 Data Management Specialists 20 58 Open Research 2 11 Policy and governance 2 1 Data Science and Analytics 6 14 Digital Research Infrastructure 3 1 PRISM 21 30 Table 2: Number of sign-ups, both physical and virtual, sorted by role. Abbreviations: PRISM = Professional Research and Investment Strategy Manager. NB. Some individuals did not provide their role when they signed up Category In-person Remote HEIs 57 125 GLAM 1 5 Government 16 20 Industry 7 12 Non-profit 8 8 Table 3: Number of sign-ups, both physical and virtual, sorted by employer type. Abbreviations: HEIs = Higher Education Institutions; GLAM = Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums. NB. Some individuals did not provide their employer details when they signed up We decided to hold the launch event for CaSDaR at the facilities shared between the Birmingham Rep and the Library of Birmingham because we wanted 1 CONTENTS 2 to honourthe tradition ofknowledge gathering and curation forthe betterment of society. The Library of Birmingham is located in Birmingham City Centre, on Centenary Square. The Library was renovated and re-opened in 2013 and is the largest public library in the UK,the largest public cultural space in Europe, andthe largest regional library in Europe. Photos from the event and the event agenda are below. Figure 1: A photo of all in-person event attendees Figure 2: An illustration by Jim Rogers of the CaSDaR Townhall launch event. Image available under CCBY-NC-ND here CONTENTS 3 Time Title Contributor/s Location 09.3010.00 Registration and Coffee - Mezzanine 10.0010.30 Introducing CaSDaR Samantha Pearman-Kanza Studio 10.3011.30 Data Steward Stories Evangeline Gowie Angharad Green Robert Darby Anneke Lubben Studio 11.3011.45 Coffee Break - Mezzanine 11.4512.15 Project Partners Robert Andrews (ELIXIR-UK) Jamie McQueen (UK Reproducibility Network) Kevin Ashley (Digital Curation Centre) Nicola Knight (Physical Sciences Data Infrastructure) Studio 12.1512.25 Introducing the Poster Presenters - Studio 12.2513.15 Lunch, Networking, and Posters - Mezzanine 13.1513.45 Community Discussion Samantha Pearman-Kanza Studio 13.4515.10 Data Stewardship Initiatives Jenny O’Neill (Sonrai) Emma Karoune (The Turing Way) James Wilson (ARC-UCL) Tristan Martin (The University of Manchester) Michael Bearpark (STEP-UP and SCALEUP) Kevin Ashley (Other EU Initiatives) Studio 15.1015.25 Coffee and Networking - Mezzanine 15.2515.50 Participant Lightning talks Elizabeth Newbold (UKRI-STFC) Catherine Jones (UKRI-STFC) Richard Campbell (University of Sheffield) David Leaver (UKCEH) Phil Reed (The University of Manchester) Studio 15.5016.20 Funding Call Launch Samantha Pearman-Kanza and Louise Saul Studio 16.2016.30 Plenary: Next Steps for CaSDaR Samantha Pearman-Kanza Studio Table 4: The Agenda for the CaSDaR Townhall Launch on the 18th September 2025, The Library of Birmingham and Online Executive Summary As the volume of data continues to grow, so does the critical need for Data Stewards, the professionals who ensure data is shareable, reusable, and FAIRcompliant. Yet in the UK, the role of the Data Steward remains under-defined and often under-recognised. The Careers and Skills for Data-driven Research (CaSDaR) project aims to address this gap by helping to define the role of Data Stewards within the UK research landscape and advocating fortheirrecognition and representation across institutions. CaSDaR launched on the 18th September 2025 with a Townhall launch, hosted at The Library of Birmingham with hybrid attendance. The event presented the current landscape of Data Stewardship in the UK, introduced the mission and goals of CaSDaR, gathered input on what support and recognition was needed, and launched a funding call to support Data Stewardship initiatives. The programme included sessions on the following: • Inspiring Data Steward stories; • Contributions from partners including PSDI, UKRN, ELIXIR-UK, and DCC; • Lightning talks from UK and international Data Stewards (all participants had the option to submit lightning talks/posters); • Interactive discussions with current stewardship initiatives; and • Details of the CaSDaR funding call. CaSDaR aims to bring together key groups across sectors to collaborate and support each other in creating a defined role and pathway for data stewards in the UK. Therefore, the launch presented an excellent opportunity to engage with the community. The aims of this event were to introduce CaSDaR’s team, to raise awareness of our remit, connect with the community, develop links with existing networks of Data Stewards, and to identify areas in which our community wants further action. Keywords: Data Stewardship, Community, Launch, Development 4 Session 1: Introducing CaSDaR 2.1 Summary This session was chaired by Samantha Pearman-Kanza The aims of this session were: • Introduce the high-level aims of CaSDaR1; • Provide a context for CaSDaR’s aims in the UK research data landscape; • Give a brief description of the objectives and deliverables of CaSDaR; • Describe the Values and Philosophy of CaSDaR, including commitments to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI); and • Introduce the CaSDaR team. This session provided a high-level overview of the proposed work of CaSDaR, how it links in to the UK landscape, and the structure ofthe team within CaSDaR as a 4-year funded project awarded by the UKRI dRTP call. This session described the plans for a network of Data Stewards, including identification of community needs, generating clear definitions of the roles and career for people wanting to move into the role, promoting the importance of the close relationships between researchers and Data Stewards, and building a sustainable community for Data Stewards. The key deliverables of the CaSDaR project were also described: • Creation of a framework of roles, responsibilities, competencies, and career progression for people working in the Data Steward sphere; • Curating a set of resources, such as job descriptions, career resources, and best practices; • Reporting on UK Data Steward’s skills gap; 1A link to the presentation used on the day can be found here: 5 CHAPTER 2. SESSION 1: INTRODUCING CASDAR 6 • Impact analysis of the CaSDaR’s work on the community and the role of Data Steward in the UK; • Provision of funding to support Data Stewardship through providing an evidence base; and • Create an association to champion the needs of Data Stewards. Also described in this session were the plans to run events to serve the needs of ourcommunity, such as Data Stewardship conference series, Bi-annual community workshops, training workshops to support the community, and Hackathons and Datathons. This session has an ongoing purpose for our community; it serves as an introductory point of reference for members of the community who want to find out more about CaSDaR. The slides for the session are available here. A link to the video can be found here. CHAPTER 5. SESSION 4: COMMUNITY DISCUSSION AND CONSULTATION 13 Figure 5.1: Job titles of both physical and virtual attendees 5.3.2 Opportunities for career progression within the community We wanted to understand the satisfaction that our community has with their current opportunities for career progression. The majority of the attendees did not feel that there were opportunities for progression within their current roles. Whilst is worth noting that this is reflective of our attendees and not necessarily of Data Stewards, it does show that there is an opportunity for further investigation into this and align it with other initiatives working to promote career opportunities for other research professionals. 5.3.3 Preference for naming of the Data Stewardship role The definitions ofthe role ofData Stewardship are diverse so we asked our community how they would like to refer to the roles and responsibilities in this area, specifically whether they feel the term ’Data Steward’ is sufficient. CHAPTER 5. SESSION 4: COMMUNITY DISCUSSION AND CONSULTATION 14 Figure 5.2: Physical and virtual attendee thoughts on the use of the term ’Data Steward’ and alternatives that could be used The majority of our attendees preferred the term ’Data Steward’ to describe the role, with significant minorities of respondents preferring terms such as ’Data Manager’, ’Data Specialist’, and ’Data Hero’. 5.3.4 Co-development of the definition of Data Steward An aim of CaSDaR is to co-create a definition of Data Stewardship, so we want to understand the experiences of our community so we asked our community what the term ’Data Stewardship’ meant to them. A synthesis of the results is below: • Data: The core focus ofthe role is the inclusion of data as the central focus; • Research: Data Stewardship applies across the whole research and data lifecycle from planning to archiving; • Management: Overseeing and handling data responsibly; • Sharing / Reuse / FAIR: Enabling accessibility, openness, and reusability; • Curation / Preservation / Archiving: Ensuring long-term usability and integrity; • Support / Guidance / Training: Helping others manage data effectively; and • Quality / Security / Compliance – ensuring standards, privacy, and legal adherence. This will form the start of an iterative process to co-create a definition of the role of Data Steward. CHAPTER 5. SESSION 4: COMMUNITY DISCUSSION AND CONSULTATION 15 5.3.5 Identification of events for the community One of CaSDaR’s remits is to run events in the future for the community, so we wanted to understand which events would be required. We ran an initial activity, asking our attendees to rank the following events in terms of relevance to them. The results are below: Figure 5.3: Ranked event requirements for attendees, with highest priority at the top Where attendees stated ’Other’, we asked them to elaborate: CHAPTER 5. SESSION 4: COMMUNITY DISCUSSION AND CONSULTATION 16 Figure 5.4: Word cloud showing event requirements for attendees that were not listed in the previous question (figure 5.3) Suggestions for ’Other’ included: Regular meet-ups; Providing online resources; Written guidance; and Mentoring. 5.3.6 Requirements for training in the community One of CaSDaR’s remits is to run training events, so we wanted to understand what training needs are present within the community. We provided a set of training options to the attendees and asked them to rank them in terms of relevance to them: CHAPTER 5. SESSION 4: COMMUNITY DISCUSSION AND CONSULTATION 17 Figure 5.5: Ranked training requirements for attendees, with highest priority at the top Where attendees had stated ’Other’, we asked them to elaborate: Figure 5.6: Word cloud showing training requirements for attendees that were not listed in the previous question (figure 5.5) Examples given in ’Other’ included: Leadership principles; CARE principles; Change CHAPTER 5. SESSION 4: COMMUNITY DISCUSSION AND CONSULTATION 18 Management; and Advocacy training. 5.4 Session evaluation This session was essential for us to understand and record the needs and backgrounds of the diverse people who are engaging with our community which will support us in steering our future activities. Given the aims of the session, the aims were met and we intend to build upon these questions in the future and iteratively create a picture that represents the interventions that are relevant to supporting the community. Session 5: OtherData Steward initiatives 6.1 Summary CaSDaR plans to work with existing initiatives that support Data Stewards and roles that are associated with Data Stewardship, as this will prevent duplication of effort and promote sustainability of CaSDaR’s outputs. Networks and groups, both in the UKand globally, have made significant progress to gain recognition forResearch Enablers, ResearchTechnical Professionals (RTPs), and Data Stewards. In order to ensure that we’re representing Data Stewards across disciplines, maximising efficiency, and avoiding duplication ofeffort, CaSDaR would like to continue working with these groups. 6.2 Presenters Our speakers were: • Representing Sonraí was Jenny O’Neill, who spoke about the way that Sonraí has worked to create and embed routes into Data Stewardship in the Irish research community; • Speaking about the work that has been done to embed the skills associated with Data Stewardship by The Turing Way was Emma Karoune; •James Wilson presented how a community in University College London has developed a thriving group of professional Data Stewards; • From the University of Manchester,Tristan Martin spoke about how the Open Research Group in the library has made a convincing case for the professionalisation of Data Stewards in challenging economic times; • The skills overlap between digital Research Technical Professionals (dRTPs) and Data Stewards was acknowledged in Michael Bearpark’s talk about the workofSTEP-UP and SCALE-UPin supporting the development ofdRTPs; and 19 CHAPTER 6. SESSION 5: OTHER DATA STEWARD INITIATIVES 20 • Presenting the considerable work done by initiatives throughout Europe was Kevin Ashley from the DCC. 6.3 Session outcomes 6.3.1 Jenny O’Neill from Sonraí Sonraí (the Irish word for data) is the Irish Data Stewardship Network. Initially developed with support from the 2022 Open Research Fund call from Ireland’s National Open Research Forum (NORF), Sonraí has continued to evolve and develop. Our mission is to foster, enable and advocate for the development of research data stewardship and data stewards nationally. We have established network governance, developed our “Am I a data steward?” quiz, organised our first national conference and our first Masterclass. With support from the NORF 2025 Open Research Fund we are also developing a micro-credential in Data Stewardship, creating a model for how we develop discipline specific curricula and establishing a data champions program nationally. The slides for Jenny’s talk ’Sonraí Irish Data Stewardship Network’ is available here and the recording is available here. 6.3.2 Emma Karoune from The Turing Way The interdisciplinary nature of the data science workforce extends beyond the traditional notion of a ”data scientist” and we should therefore recognise and strive to professionalise all the ‘other’ roles that are part of the data science workforce. A successful data science team requires a wide range of technical expertise, domain knowledge and leadership capabilities. To strengthen such a team-based approach, we (myself and Malvika Sharan) recommend that institutions, funders and policymakers invest in developing and professionalising a more diverse set of roles, including digital research technical professional roles, such as data stewards, therefore fostering a resilient data science ecosystem for the future. I will highlight work we have done in this area, including The Turing Way project - Professionalising traditional and infrastructure research roles in data science, in which we documented the different roles and competencies that make up data science teams at Turing and my current project, Advancing Biomedical Data Science Careers, which seeks to understand the current landscape of skills, roles and team approaches in this area. By recognising and professionalising these diverse specialist roles and how they collaborate within interdisciplinary teams, organisations can leverage deep expertise across multiple skill sets, enhancing responsible decision-making and fostering innovation at all levels. Ultimately, we seek to shift the perception of data science professionals from the conventional view of individual data scientists to a competency-based model of specialist roles within a team, each essential to the success of data science initiatives. See policy briefing note here. The slides for Emma’s talk ’Professionalising Data Stewards and all the ’others” are here and the recording is available here CHAPTER 6. SESSION 5: OTHER DATA STEWARD INITIATIVES 21 6.3.3 James Wilson from UCL-ARC Abriefoverview ofhow UCLis addressing the challenges ofResearch Data Stewardship from an institutional perspective, including our approach to professionalising the role, involving the community, and working on both research and services The slides for James’ talk ’Research Data Stewardship at UCL’ are here and the recording is available here 6.3.4 Tristan Martin from the University of Manchester Since the launch ofthe Office forOpen Research at the University ofManchester in 2022 the Library has been undertaking a project on research data stewardship, in close partnership with Research IT and the University’s Research Lifecycle Programme. It aims to develop and professionalise and enhance the data stewardship support and data steward community at Manchester, aiding researchers in the transition to a FAIR data research culture. This talk will explore the progress we have made so far, the ambitions we have for the future of the project, in addition to reflections on the challenges faced in making the case for data stewards and data stewardship in a higher education environment in which resources and budgets are under intense scrutiny. The slides forTristan’s talk ’Making the Case in Challenging Times: The University of Manchester Data Stewardship Project’ are available here and the recording is available here 6.3.5 Michael Bearpark from SCALE-UP The shared purpose of STEP-UP and SCALE-UP is to build support and training networks for digital Research Technical Professionals (dRTPs), starting with the needs and experience of Research Software Engineering in defining itself over the past decade, and extending this to research data and digital research infrastructure / HPC roles. STEP-UP is a regional project, an EPSRC Strategic Technical Platform focussed on London and surroundings. Its central aim isto help define and establish ‘dRTP’ and to support those who’ve chosen these roles. ‘Data’ was really the starting point forthis work, as I’ll explain, but ‘research data engineer’ and ‘data steward’ aren’t the same, presenting challenges in developing training at different levels, and elsewhere. SCALE-UP - no acronym - is a UKRI / NERC Network Plus, and is designed to share developments from STEP-UP and elsewhere nationally, primarily through managing a flexible fund for targeted dRTP initiatives across research software, data and digital infrastructures. Through scaling and supporting groups of researchtechnical championsthere’s an opportunity to adapttraining forspecific research domains, while also raising awareness of the work of digital Research Technical Professionals and how important this is. There will be support available for hosting longer placements e.g. in central research computing teams for software / data / infrastructure, and mini compute clusters to support infrastructure training specifically and to make research computing more visible The slides for Michael’s talk ’STEP-UP & SCALE-UP: Building dRTP Support and Training Networks’ is available here and the recording is available here. CHAPTER 6. SESSION 5: OTHER DATA STEWARD INITIATIVES 22 6.3.6 Kevin Ashley from DCC European initiatives to support data stewards are increasing their focus on professionalising the role and embedding it within the Open Research and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data landscape. The EOSC Association complements this by offering a roadmap with strategic recommendations to enhance data stewardship training, career paths, and institutional recognition. Organisations collaborate to mainstream Open Science practices, improve research data management, and ensure that data stewards are equipped with the necessary skills and institutional support. Projects such as Skills4EOSC and FAIR-IMPACT have sought to provide resources to maintain research excellence. Ultimately, these coordinated efforts aim to elevate data stewardship as a recognised and essential profession within the European research ecosystem. The slides for Kevin’s talk ’Data Stewardship Initiatives in Europe’ are available here and the recording is available here. 6.4 Session evaluation Feedbackonthe session was good (Over50% ofattendees said thatthey wanted to see more ofall sessions, and 4% said they would like to see more ofspecifically this session). From an organisation perspective, the session enabled us to consider how we could go on to work with other initiatives to develop a ’Network-of-Networks’ for Data Stewardship across the UK and Europe. This is likely to form a considerable part of CaSDaR’s future work as it will prevent fracturing the landscape and promote collaborations to enrich the support delivered to the community.