Making the Case for Research Data Management

A Digi al Cu a ion Cen e B ie ing Pape
1s Sep embe 2011
AwA eneSS Le eL
Making he Case o
Resea ch Da a Managemen
Angus Why e (DCC) and Jona han Tedds (Uni e si y o Leices e )
•In oduc ion
•D i e s
•Building heSe ices
•Iden i yingBene i sandChallenges
•C ea ing heEn i onmen
•Looking o heFu u e
•Conclusions
•Sou ces o Fu he Reading
In oduc ion –
Doing Mo e wi h Less
Highe Educa ion esea ch manage s need o
coo dina e an e e -b oade ange o esea ch ou pu s
and ou comes. In his b ie ing we show how ins i u ions
ha e aken a lead in es ablishing esea ch da a policies
and se ices ha will suppo hem. We show how
hese a e gi ing measu able imp o emen s in esea ch
capabili y, and in he ins i u ions’ abili y o espond
o policy-make s and egula o s. Ins i u ions equi e
cohe en amewo ks o es ablish he o ganisa ion,
esou ces and echnology capable o gene a ing
hese bene i s. This in i sel p esen s challenges in
achie ing cohe en change ac oss he many dispa a e
componen s wi hin an ins i u ion. The p essu e o do
so wi h ewe esou ces means ha JISC-led ini ia i es
like he Managing Resea ch Da a p og amme and he
Sha ed Se ices and he Cloud P og amme come a an
oppo une ime.
The p ospec s o sha ing esou ces o gain e iciencies
and mo e e ec i e collabo a ion a e ex ending beyond
es ablished a eas such as IT Se ices, Lib a y and
Resea ch Suppo . Jus as academics a e p oducing
digi al esea ch asse s in g ea e olume and a ie y,
da a managemen se ices a e joining compu a ion as
esou ces ha can be pooled mo e e ec i ely. Bene i s
may also be ound by conside ing o he pa s o he
esea ch cycle ha can be se ed h ough eposi o y
se ices al eady es ablished o manage esea ch a icles.
Tools, se ices and s anda ds a e eme ging o help
esea che s manage hei esea ch asse s, and o make
mo e widely a ailable he e idence including aw and
p ocessed da a ha unde pins hei esea ch a icles.
E ec i e managemen is p o iding ins i u ions wi h
new ways o ind syne gies ac oss esea ch g oups,
p oducing new knowledge by engaging a b oade
ange o s akeholde s, and enabling wide euse o da a
in eaching and lea ning, comme cial exploi a ion and
policy de elopmen .
Resea che s’ needs a e likely o span he ela ed
a eas o esea ch da a managemen , cu a ion, and
p ese a ion. Resea ch da a managemen conce ns
he o ganisa ion o da a, om i s en y o he esea ch
cycle h ough o he dissemina ion and a chi ing o
aluable esul s. I aims o ensu e eliable e i ica ion o
esul s, and pe mi s new and inno a i e esea ch buil
on exis ing in o ma ion. P ese a ion is abou ensu ing
ha wha is handed o e o a eposi o y o publishe
emains i o seconda y use in he longe e m (e.g.
10 yea s pos -p ojec ). Cu a ion connec s i s use o
seconda y use. I is abou ensu ing ha p ojec esul s
a e i o a chi e, and ha alued esea ch asse s
emain i o euse. This b ie ing ocuses on esea ch
da a managemen , i s d i e s and bene i s ound. We
loca e hese in he JISC Managing Resea ch Da a
p og amme, and ake a snapsho o he expe iences o
one ins i u ion, he Uni e si y o Leices e .
Measu ing he Bene i s
37% P ojec edsa ingins a  ime ommo ingOx o dUni e si y
ClassicsDep da abase ocen alised i ualse ice(38)
69% Inc easeinci a ions o clinical ialpublica ionsassocia ed
wi hmaking hei mic oa ayda ase spubliclya ailable(14)
500%G ow hinda ase sdownloaded omEconomicandSocial
Da aSe ice2003-2008(36)
One-day delay cu o 5 minu esEs ima ed imesa ing o 
c ys allog aphy esea che s oaccess esul s omDiamond
synch o on,bydeployingdigi alp ocessingpipeline&me ada a
cap u esys em(38)
(See sou ces o u he in o ma ion)
The D i e s
The e has been a decisi e shi owa ds g ea e
o e sigh o he esea ch p ocess mo i a ed by he
d i ing p inciple o da a as a public good. This shi
is seen in he conce ns o policy-make s, and in
changes in legisla ion and i s implemen a ion. The
needs a e being add essed h ough coo dina ed
ac ion by unde s including he UK Resea ch
Councils, cha i ies and JISC, wi h signi ican
esponsibili ies alling o HEIs and indi idual
esea che s.
Resea ch In eg i y
Resea ch in eg i y is a key issue o policy-make s.
The House o Commons Selec Commi ee on
Science and Technology concluded in 2011 “…
employe s mus ake esponsibili y o he in eg i y
o hei employees’ esea ch”. They also call o
egula o y o e sigh o ensu e unde s and ins i u ions
ul il hei esponsibili ies (1). Da a managemen is
a means o assu e esea ch in eg i y, and he UK
Resea ch In eg i y O ice (UKRIO) s a es in i s Code o
P ac ice:
“O ganisa ions should ha e in place p ocedu es, esou ces
(including physical space) and adminis a i e suppo o assis
esea che s in he accu a e and e icien collec ion o da a and
i s s o age in a secu e and accessible o m. Resea che s should
conside how da a will be ga he ed, analysed and managed, and
how and in wha o m ele an da a will e en ually be made a ailable
o o he s, a an ea ly s age o he design o he p ojec . (2)
Legisla i e Change and
Regula o y Compliance
A ela ed poin is ha e ec i e da a managemen can
mi iga e isks o ins i u ional epu a ion. These may
su ace as esea che s balance equi emen s o
disclosu e and con iden iali y. Measu es o comply
wi h Da a P o ec ion and F eedom o In o ma ion
legisla ion need cons an moni o ing, gi en
ulings by he In o ma ion Commissione s O ice
on he wi hholding o esea ch da a eques ed
h ough FOI, o example. Pa ly in esponse o he
Independen Clima e Change Emails Re iew in 2010
JISC de eloped new guidance o esea che s in
esponding o FOI eques s o esea ch da a (3). D
Malcolm Read, execu i e sec e a y o JISC, said a
he ime: “…We need o mo e away om a cul u e
o sec ecy and owa ds a wo ld whe e esea che s
can bene i om sha ing expe ise h oughou he
esea ch li ecycle.” (4)
Funde s’ Da a Policies
To os e good p ac ice, Resea ch Councils UK has
coo dina ed a s a emen o Common P inciples on
Da a Policy (see box below) asse ing ha “..making
esea ch da a a ailable o use s is a co e pa o he
Resea ch Councils’ emi ”.
The DCC acks and summa ises unde policies,
including Resea ch Councils and some majo cha i ies
(5). The EPSRC, o example now equi es esea ch
o ganisa ions o p ese e da a secu ely o a leas 10
yea s, and “… ensu e ha e ec i e da a cu a ion is
p o ided h oughou he ull da a li ecycle, wi h ‘da a
cu a ion’ and ‘da a li ecycle’ being as de ined by he
Digi al Cu a ion Cen e” (6).
The inc easing UK ac i i y in his a ea pa allels
signi ican in e na ional e o , especially ac oss
Eu ope, he US, and Aus alasia (7). In he US, he
Na ional Science Founda ion has manda ed Da a
Managemen Plans as a condi ion o unding, and he
Eu opean Commission is o equi e hese plans o
p ojec s unded in i s 8 h F amewo k p og amme om
2014.
Resea ch is Global and mo e
‘Da a In ensi e’
Funde s expec UK esea ch o be in e na ional in
scope. The Royal Socie y has epo ed ha o e a
hi d o all a icles published in in e na ional jou nals
a e in e na ionally collabo a i e, up om a qua e 15
yea s ago (8). Resea che s need da a managemen
ools and se ices o wo k his way. Resea ch da a is
i sel o en seen as a o m o in as uc u e, as i is he
basis o ‘da a in ensi e’ esea ch; a end sp eading
om ields such as genomics and as onomy ac oss
many domains. As he Eu opean Commission
Riding he Wa e epo poin s ou , his end calls o
‘collabo a i e esea ch da a amewo ks’ (9). These
should help de elop he eme ging pan-Eu opean
collabo a i e esea ch da a in as uc u e, and a oid
isola ing he islands o good p ac ice.
Summa y o Resea ch Councils UK
- Common P inciples on Da a Policy
Public good: Publicly unded esea chda aa ep oducedin
hepublicin e es shouldbemadeopenlya ailablewi h ew
es ic ions
Planning o p ese a ion:Ins i u ionalandp ojec speci icda a
managemen policiesandplansneeded oensu e aluedda a
emainsusable
Disco e y:Me ada ashouldbea ailableanddisco e able;
Published esul sshouldindica ehow oaccesssuppo ingda a
Con iden iali y: Resea cho ganisa ionpoliciesandp ac ices
oensu elegal,e hicalandcomme cialcons ain sassessed;
esea chp ocessno damagedbyinapp op ia e elease
Fi s use: P o ision o ape iodo exclusi euse, oenable
esea ch eams opublish esul s
Recogni ion:Da ause sshouldacknowledgeda asou cesand
e ms&condi ionso access
Public unding: In es men is app op ia e and mus be e icien
and cos -e ec i e.
(Full ex a :h p://www. cuk.ac.uk/ esea ch/Pages/Da aPolicy.aspx)
Ins i u ional Policy
Responses
In esponse o hese d i e s, some UK Uni e si ies
ha e s a ed o de elop policies on esea ch da a
managemen (10). Ox o d Uni e si y published i s
Commi men o Resea ch Da a Managemen in
2010 (11). The Uni e si y o Edinbu gh’s adop ion
o he UKRIO Code o P ac ice o Resea ch was
an impo an s epping-s one o i s Resea ch Da a
Managemen Policy, announced in 2011 (12). The
policies do he ollowing:
• Iden i ya easo  esponsibili y o  heins i u ion
and o esea che s
• Commi  heuni e si y ode elopapp op ia e
guidelines, aining and suppo , including
mechanisms and se ices o s o age and backup
• Suppo deploymen o da a eposi o iesand/
o mechanisms o egis e ing me ada a abou
esea ch da a
• Recognise ha managemen andcu a ion
o esea ch da a equi es coope a ion and
coo dina ion wi h esea ch unde s, and wi h
exis ing na ional and in e na ional p o ide s o da a
se ices and subjec -based eposi o ies
I is wo h no ing ha hese policies build on ea lie
wo k suppo ed by he JISC Digi al Reposi o ies and
P ese a ion p og amme in he p ojec s EIDCSR and
Da aSha e espec i ely. O he ins i u ions a e likely
o simila ly de elop policies o i hei speci ic needs
and con ex s. The e emain open ques ions abou
exac ly who is esponsible and when a each poin
wi hin he complex esea ch ecosys em (13).
Fu he incen i es o change a e he Resea ch
Excellence F amewo k, and he Resea ch Councils’
coo dina ed moni o ing o esea ch ou pu s and
ou comes. Da ase s ha e ye o make a ma k in
esea ch assessmen e ms compa ed wi h he
adi ional a icle. This is likely o change wi h
e idence ha making da a ela ed o an a icle
publicly a ailable co ela es wi h highe ci a ion
a es, a leas in ields ha ha e buil he necessa y
eposi o ies, s anda ds and collabo a i e cul u e (14).
These include as onomy, whe e he numbe
o esea ch pape s based on second use o da a om
he Hubble Space Telescope has now o e aken
hose based on he ini ially p oposed use (15).
The de elopmen o s anda ds and mechanisms
o ci ing da a, e.g. Da aci e (16), and o iden i ying
con ibu o s e.g. ORCID (17), will also help da ase s
gain mo e ecogni ion as ou pu s in hei own igh .
S anda ds-complian esea ch in o ma ion sys ems
will p o ide mechanisms o ack da ase usage and
enable his o be ewa ded (18). The equi emen s o
do ha will be g ounded in e idence o he bene i s.
As he emainde o he b ie ing shows, he bene i s o
ha ing da a in a eusable o m a e he oppo uni ies
i c ea es – o se ices o lay he ounda ion o new
esea ch, c ea e ma e ial o eaching and lea ning,
imp o e engagemen wi h he communi y and
business, and in o m policy o p oduc de elopmen .
Building he Se ices:
a Snapsho o Ac i i y
The HEFCE and JISC conduc ed a easibili y s udy
o a UK Resea ch Da a Se ice (19), which iden i ied
he need o a sha ed app oach ac oss ins i u ions
o help hem build esea ch da a managemen skills,
capabili y and o ganisa ion. This is being suppo ed
h ough he Sha ed Se ices and he Cloud and
Managing Resea ch Da a p og ammes, including a
coo dina ed app oach o deli e ing aining, ools and
good p ac ice h ough he Digi al Cu a ion Cen e.
The Managing Resea ch Da a (MRD) P og ammes
ha e al eady pump-p imed ini ia i es o build se ices
in a numbe o uni e si ies.
The p og amme’s i s phase (2009-2011) included
ini ia i es wi h a b oad ins i u ional emi , and o he s
ocusing on speci ic disciplines and c oss-disciplina y
equi emen s. These p ojec s ha e deli e ed
inno a i e ou pu s o complemen he capabili ies
being es ablished h ough JISC Ad ance, JANET and
he Na ional G id Se ice. Many o he p ojec ou pu s
ha e been designed o be eusable o adap able. The
JISC websi e (20) and an ‘In oKi ’ (21) expand on he
ollowing examples.
Da a managemen planning
app oaches
The DCC’s ool DMP Online (22) helps p ojec eams
c ea e da a managemen plans be o e and du ing
esea ch p ojec s. The DMP-ESRC P ojec p oduced
a se o Da a Managemen Recommenda ions o
Resea ch Cen es and P og ammes (23) also use ul
o planning in esea ch g oups and depa men s
in o he disciplines. The ERIM P ojec examined
issues a he Uni e si y o Ba h’s Inno a i e Design
and Manu ac u ing Resea ch Cen e (IDMRC) and
p oduced a D a Da a Managemen Plan (24). The
HALOGEN P ojec a he Uni e si y o Leices e
showed how cen al IT Se ices could suppo
esea ch p ojec s, iden i y po en ial cos e iciencies
and p omo e collabo a ion ac oss depa men s and
disciplines (see nex sec ion).
Bes p ac ice suppo and
guidance
The Inc emen al P ojec has p oduced empla e web
pages o p o iding suppo and guidance o
managing esea ch da a, as implemen ed a he
Uni e si y o Camb idge (25) and he Uni e si y o
Glasgow (26).
Resea ch da a managemen
pla o ms
The ADMIRAL P ojec (27) a Ox o d Uni e si y
de eloped a pilo da a managemen in as uc u e o
li e science esea che s. Thei wo- ie app oach i s
suppo s esea che s’ local da a managemen , and
secondly o e s an easy and secu e ou e o a chi ing
anno a ed da ase s o an ins i u ional eposi o y.
The FISHne P ojec (28) de eloped a pla o m o
esea ch da a cu a ion and sha ing in eshwa e
biology. The pla o m ea u es a ‘T a ic Ligh Sys em
o Da a’ and he FISHNe se e -side echnology
s ack, and will be hos ed by he F eshwa e Biological
Associa ion. The I2S2 P ojec (29) implemen ed i s
In o ma ion Model using he ICAT Li e ‘pe sonal
wo kbench o managing da a lows’. This allows
he use o manage da a, o cap u e p o enance
in o ma ion and o “commi da a” o long- e m
s o age.
The Sudamih p ojec a Ox o d Uni e si y (30)
de eloped in as uc u e o suppo humani ies
esea che s in he o m o a ‘da abase-as-a-se ice’
pla o m. Wo king ini ially wi h esea che s in he
li e-sciences a he Uni e si y o Manches e , he
MaDAM P ojec (31) p o ided a pla o m o mee
hei equi emen s. These p ojec s bo h sough o
gene alise he ools o o he esea ch g oups and
disciplines.
Requi emen s analyses and
case s udies
The Ins i u ional Da a Managemen Bluep in p ojec
examined esea ch da a managemen challenges
ac oss a numbe o depa men s a he Uni e si y o
Sou hamp on o p oduce i s Findings Repo (32).
Requi emen s we e also ex ensi ely documen ed in
o he p ojec s including Sudamih, Inc emen al, and
MaDAM, in some cases also p o iding gap analyses,
ollowed by case s udies o collec expe iences om
he pilo ing o he ools ha we e de eloped.
T aining ma e ials
The JISC MRD p og amme in 2009-11 unded a
a ie y o p ojec s o de elop aining ma e ials (20).
These add ess a ange o disciplina y needs including
a chaeology, heal h s udies, humani ies esea ch,
pe o mance and isual a s, psychology, mic oscopy,
social an h opology, social science, and geoscience.
Iden i ying Bene i s
and O ganisa ional
Challenges
Iden i ying he bene i s achie able and he case
o sus ainabili y was an o e -a ching heme o he
Managing Resea ch Da a p og amme. Bene i s
we e analysed h ough a se ies o case s udies by
consul an s Cha les Beag ie L d. The esul s add o he
e idence base o a managed app oach o esea ch
da a, e.g. om case s udies iden i ying bene i s o
making esea ch mo e open (33).
Demand o se ices is g owing, as shown by a
join s udy by he JISC and Resea ch In o ma ion
Ne wo k (RIN) which has iden i ied apid g ow h
in usage o di ec ly unded na ional da a cen es.
Resea ch e iciency was he mos widely suppo ed
bene i o hese, wi h esea che s men ioning ways in
which he cen es had sa ed hem ime, money and
e o (34). Case s udies ha e also highligh ed he scale
o he challenges p esen ed by he complexi y and
Me ics o Ins i u ions
• New esea ch g an income
• Resea ch da ase publica ions gene a ed
• Imp o emen in ci a ion impac om a icles wi h
publicly a ailable da a
• Imp o emen s in benchma k esul s
• Cos e iciencies o se ices o dep s
• Re-use o in as uc u e in new p ojec s
Me ics o Resea che s/
Resea ch Teams
• G an income/success a es
• Visibili y o esea ch h ough da a ci a ion
• Imp o emen in ou ine back-up o da a
• Reduc ion in lead ime o da a eques s
• Time sa ed on da a mgm / g an p oposals
• E ec i eness o esea ch ool/so wa e
Me ics o Resea ch
Suppo Se ices
• Take-up in use communi y o se ices
• Da a deposi s wi h a eposi o y
• Downloads o da ase s held
• Ac i i y based cos ing me hods
• Use eedback
• Da ase s c ea ed/main ained
Me ics o Schola ly Communica ion
• Ci a ions o da ase s, esea ch a icles
• Ci a ions o da a managemen me hods
• Da ase s wi h enhanced me ada a
• Reuse o da a in eaching & lea ning
• Inc ease in use communi ies
• Se ice le el ag eemen s o na ionally impo an
da ase s
Table1.Po en ialAssessmen Me ics(Adap ed om:Beag ie,2011(34))
di e si y o esea che s’ p ac ices (35). Engagemen
o esea che s and esea ch ou pu s wi h he wide
communi y and business is an inc easing ocus o
HEIs and Go e nmen . The e is a need o long and
medium- e m planning o add ess he complexi ies
in ol ed.
The MRD cos -bene i s udies ha e gauged he
e ec s o ocused in e en ions o de elop sys ems
and p ocesses o esea che s, iden i ying possible
me ics (see able). Howe e , he ield is cha ac e ised
by sho - e m p ojec s, and as he epo poin s ou ,
da a eposi o ies equi e a c i ical mass o da a and
use s. This will depend on he ma u i y o he domains
in ol ed and hei da a managemen : “Many bene i s
will only eme ge o e a longe imescale. Longe - e m
e ec s end o a ise om a complex combina ion
o de elopmen s and ci cums ances, which can be
di icul o impossible o disen angle and a ibu e o
use o a single da a eposi o y, da ase , o esea ch
da a managemen p ojec ” (36).
C ea ing he En i onmen :
Expe iences in one
Ins i u ion
The Uni e si y o Leices e (UoL) belie es e ec i e
managemen o esea ch da a is a c i ical success
ac o . Key o his is equi emen s ga he ing o
suppo esea ch da a managemen planning,
which in u n needs coo dina ion o esea ch and
IT expe ise which may be in o he depa men s o
cen al se ice, and may be ex e nal.
UoL has al eady aken s a egic ac ions o suppo
i s esea che s’ da a managemen needs and
p omo e long- e m p ese a ion and dissemina ion
o he da a hey p oduce. In 2011 i app o ed an
ambi ious IT S a egy gi ing i s cen al IT Se ice a
clea manda e o p o ide comp ehensi e in o ma ion
managemen se ices. This aims o unde pin all
aspec s o he Uni e si y’s mission, including i s
esea ch, in he mos cos -e ec i e manne possible
(37). The documen esponds o unding bodies’
announcemen s ega ding p inciples ha mus be
adop ed o managing esea ch da a. In pa icula ,
i se s he di ec ion o adical change in he unding
model o IT esea ch in as uc u e, o enable
sus ainable access o da a in he long- e m.
Wi hin he cen al IT Se ice, UoL c ea ed a ‘Resea ch
Compu ing Se ices’ (RCS) eam (in 2008) whose
aim is o suppo esea che s’ needs. This is now
s a ed wi h se en IT p o essionals, all wi h esea ch
backg ounds. The eam launched a new High
Pe o mance Compu ing (HPC) acili y in 2010 and
has gone on o pilo a ious se e and da abase
hos ing se ices on a ‘local cloud’ o i ualised
in as uc u e. Fo example, he ALICE HPC sys em
educed genomic sequence p ocessing ime by a
ac o o 60, so wo k ha ook 35 hou s now akes 35
minu es.
The Uni e si y was a Pa h inde o he UK Resea ch
Da a Se ice (UKRDS). This p o ided an excellen
oppo uni y o engage a wide ange o esea che s in
equi emen s ga he ing, and o gene a e en husiasm
o sol ing da a managemen challenges a Leices e .
Th ough his ini ia i e he ole o ‘Resea ch Liaison
Manage ’ was es ablished and pionee ed na ionally.
S a in he ole ha e buil e ec i e ela ionships wi h
a wide ange o esea ch eams and cen al se ices
and helped iden i y, de ine and p o o ype he se ices
ha esea che s need a ins i u ional le el. The ole
demons a ed he impo ance o a signi ican esea ch
backg ound o unde s and he needs o esea che s,
as well as amilia i y wi h esea ch IT.
The JISC MRD unded in e disciplina y p ojec
HALOGEN (His o y, A chaeology, Linguis ics,
Onomas ics and GENe ics) p o ed o be a good
empla e o e ec i e pa ne ship wi h he esea ch
communi y(www.le.ac.uk/halogen).Thep ojec 
iden i ied he da a managemen needs o esea che s
in ol ed and he o ganisa ional equi emen s. In doing
so i es ablished he ins i u ion’s bes p ac ice o
s o age and managemen o di e se c oss-disciplina y
esea ch da a. HALOGEN co e ed all phases o he
p ojec li e cycle h ough o he implemen a ion o
a p ac ical, cos e ec i e solu ion o da a access,
sha ing, cu a ion and p ese a ion. This exploi ed he
Uni e si y’s asse s in IT Se ices and o he cen es
o excellence in e ms o ha dwa e, so wa e, s o age
and echnical expe ise.
Di ec bene i s o he HALOGEN wo k can be
summa ised as:
• Enablingnew esea choppo uni iesand
s imula ing new collabo a ions
• Imp o edschola lycommunica ionand
access o da a
• Ve i ica ion, e-pu posingand euseo da a
and me hodologies
• Inc easing esea chp oduc i i yandp o ec ing
e u ns on ea lie in es men s
• Inc easing heskillsbaseo indi iduals
The esea che s in ol ed ha e consequen ly
won £1.3m o e 5 yea s o a Le e hulme T us
in e disciplina y esea ch heme called Diaspo as
o exploi he HALOGEN da abase o new esea ch
ac oss gene ics, a s and humani ies.
HALOGEN was a key d i e o de eloping a
Da abase Hos ing Se ice, which p o ides a common
in as uc u e o hos ing esea ch applica ions.
This uses he open sou ce ‘LAMP’ s ack (Linux,
Apache,MySQLandPHP) unningonVMwa e
Vi ualMachines.Thisisbeingdeployed o  he
sha ed cloud-based se ice BRISSki (www.le.ac.
uk/BRISSki ).Thisse icewillhos andcombine
biomedical esea ch da ase s ac oss he Uni e si y

and NHS esea ch eams wo king wi h issue samples
and anonymised pa ien da a. The in as uc u e is
designed so i can be eplica ed ei he locally o in
ex e nally hos ed cloud se ices b oke ed by JANET,
es ing hei po en ial o con ain cos s. The Uni e si y
expec s o show ha cloud se ices can be secu ely
exploi ed wi hou exposing he o ganisa ion o
signi ican isk. The local NHS T us has success ully
enewed i s NHS Biomedical Resea ch Uni
s a us wi h he explici in en ion o exploi ing such
in as uc u e.
Ins i u ional planning has been ag eed wi hin he
Uni e si y’s go e nance s uc u e h ough he
es ablishmen o a new Resea ch Compu ing
Managemen G oup. The IT Resea ch Liaison
Manage andPVCResea chandEn e p iseha e
been key ac o s. This has b ough high-le el suppo
o de eloping a keen ins i u ional unde s anding
o cul u al issues and cons ain s on exploi ing
cloud-based se ices; including hose o be deli e ed,
and o he s as hey become a ailable na ionally o
in e na ionally.
The Uni e si y’s go e ning Council has highligh ed
he need o ensu e he in eg i y o i s esea ch da a,
pa icula ly whe e ha da a is sensi i e. I was
hus c ucial o map sensi i e and con iden ial da a
holdings ac oss he ins i u ion, o de elop policy and
p io i ise whe e in e en ion and suppo is needed
mos u gen ly. As a esul , lags ha e been embedded
in he cen al g an cos ing sys em o igge suppo
eques s o esea che s i (i) hey migh use, euse
o gene a e sensi i e da a and (ii) hey equi e help
in planning and cos ing o esea ch IT in a unding
p oposal.
Leices e has also ex ensi ely pilo ed DCC-de eloped
ools. In de eloping i s policies and p ocedu es, he
Uni e si y has collabo a ed wi h o he ins i u ions and
he DCC o help implemen he eme ging na ional
amewo ks. This has helped iden i y he imeline o
ins i u ional de elopmen in Table 2 below.
Nea e m Medium e m Long e m
(up o a yea ) (1-3 yea s) (>3 yea s)
Ge keyplaye s omac oss
ins i u ion oge he :Iden i y
objec i es o Resea chDa a
Managemen (RDM)
Raiseawa enessandmake
useo exis inggene al aining
ma e ialse.g.DCC101
Iden i yandbenchma k
exis ingcen alp o ision
o RDM,including esea ch
in o ma ionsys ems,g an 
cos ing&s a suppo 
se ices
Iden i y,dissemina eand
de elopcu en exempla s o
conduc basicaudi o RDM.
Seekquickwinswi hhigh
p o ileacademicchampions
D awonex e nalexpe ise,
buildlinkswi hpo en ial
pa ne s
Es ablisha o malUni e si y
wideCommi ee ode elop
& a i ypoliciesonRDM;
dissemina ebene i s&cos 
sa ings
Designandpilo 
ins i u ion-wideand
discipline-speci ic aining
d awinguponlocalsuppo 
andguidance
App aiseRDMp o ision
&conduc gapanalysis o
de elopbusinesscase.
Benchma kle elso ma u i y
o RDMin as uc u e&
suppo
De eloppo olioo p ojec s o
eusein as uc u e,buildRDM
capaci yin u he keyg oups
Fo maliselinks oex e nal
pa ne s&s akeholde swhe e
necessa y
RDMisembeddedac oss
acul ies&cen alse ices,
subjec  ope iodic e iew,
ensu ingin o ma ion lowand
suppo isco-o dina ed
Rollou ins i u ion-wideand
discipline-speci ic aining oall
news a &s uden s.Pe iodic
e iewandupda eo ma e ials
RDMse iceinplaceand
in ol ingalls akeholde s.
Pe iodicbenchma kingand a ge 
se ing
RDMandPoliciesde eloped
a  acul yle el;Keyacademic
g oupsa eengaged;cen al
se icesinwidesp eaduse
ac oss heins i u ion
RDMe ec i elyin eg a edwi h
sha edUKandin e na ional
se ices;quali yassu ancein
place
Table2:Asugges ed imeline o ins i u ionalde elopmen
Looking o he Fu u e
We can expec o see g ow h bo h in se ices
and he ange o p o ide s, as pan-Eu opean and
global ‘ esea ch da a in as uc u es’ de elop. UK
Highe Educa ion is building skills and capabili y in
esea ch da a managemen as a key componen o
he UK’s e-in as uc u e o esea ch and inno a ion.
Ins i u ions can conside how o inco po a e a imeline
like ha shown in Table 2 in o hei s a egy. Da a
managemen and cu a ion ac i i ies will inc easingly
be suppo ed ‘in he cloud’. whe e se ices will be
p o ided on a ‘So wa e-as-a-Se ice’ (SaaS) basis.
Complemen ing he Managing Resea ch Da a
P og amme, he JISC and HEFCE Sha ed Se ices
and he Cloud P og amme is p o iding sha ed
in as uc u e o esea ch da a managemen (38). This
includes co e i ual se e in as uc u e (a ‘cloud’)
o o e cos e ec i e da a managemen and s o age
se ices o HE ins i u ions, o be managed h ough
JANET and Eduse . SaaS applica ions o mee
common equi emen s o esea ch da a se ices a e
being de eloped, some based on p o o ypes om
he MRD p og amme. These include he Leices e
Uni e si y BRISSki se ice men ioned abo e, and
heViDaaS‘da abase-as-a-se ice’de elopeda 
Ox o d. In addi ion, SRF de eloped a Sou hamp on
will p o ide elec onic lab da a managemen and
collabo a ions ools. Da a low de eloped a Ox o d
p o ides an in eg a ed se o ools o manage da a
wi hin p ojec s and hen o s o e i o he longe
e m, simpli ying he se up o Swo d complian da a
eposi o ies and he submission o da a o hem. The
Sha ed Se ices and he Cloud p og amme is also
de eloping se ices o adminis a ion in conjunc ion
wi h JISC Ad ance. These include SaaS applica ions
o esea ch managemen , elec onic esou ce
managemen , and secu e dis ibu ion o documen s.
The JISC-suppo ed Digi al Cu a ion Cen e
cu s ac oss bo h p og ammes. I is wo king wi h
ins i u ions o g ow and sus ain hei ‘human
in as uc u e’ in his a ea. This is p ima ily by
holding awa eness- aising oadshow e en s1 , and
p o iding ailo ed suppo o manage s in indi idual
uni e si ies. The la e wo k includes coo dina ing
aining p o ision, and benchma king cu en
p o ision o help manage s es ablish equi emen s
and de elop he equi ed capabili ies. The DCC ool
CARDIO (Collabo a i e Assessmen o Resea ch Da a
In as uc u e and Objec i es) is a benchma king
ool o da a managemen and cu a ion s a egy
de elopmen , o use a he depa men al o esea ch
g oup le el (39). I d aws on a model o assessing
ins i u ions’ le el o p epa edness on h ee aspec s;
echnology, esou ces and o ganisa ion; he la e
p o iding a use ul checklis o a eas o esponsibili y
(see box).
The DCC will also con inue o de elop ools and
p o ide hese on a SaaS basis, including he DMP
Online ool o da a managemen planning. These
ools will be u he de eloped o sus ain planning,
implemen a ion and sel -assessmen a p ojec le el,
esea ch g oup, and ins i u ional le els.
Conclusions
Ins i u ional policy de elopmen is equi ed as a
basis o coo dina ed ac ion on da a managemen .
The objec i e is no di e en om ha o esea ch
i sel ; o bene i science, schola ship and p o ide
wide social and economic impac s. Technology
is making i easible o p o ide a mo e anspa en
esea ch eco d, a eco d ha bo h science and
socie y demand in he in e es o ep oducibili y and
openness. A s ong case o managing and cu a ing
esea ch da a can be made, as a means o assu e
esea ch in eg i y and o p o ide imp o emen s
in esea ch e iciency and in he e ec i eness o
ins i u ional suppo .
Case s udies ha e illus a ed he ypes o bene i
o be gained. Mo e wo k is needed o ollow up he
wo k begun on de eloping and applying me ics o
assess he impac s. Resea che s and o ganisa ions
need me hods o iden i y and moni o how da a
managemen con ibu es o speci ic esea ch
ajec o ies. Bu i is al eady clea ha Ins i u ions
need e ec i e p ocesses and p ocedu es i hei
esea che s a e o deal wi h echnical and egula o y
changes in schola ly communica ion. The i s p io i y
o esea che s is ypically mo e cla i y on oles and
esponsibili ies and he suppo a ailable.
O ganisa ional esponsibili ies
o esea ch da a
O ganisa ional esponsibili ies o esea ch da a
Owne ship and managemen
Policies and p ocedu es
Policy e iew
Sha ing / Access o Resea ch Da a
P ese a ion and con inui y o esea ch da a
In e nal audi o esea ch ac i i ies
Moni o ing and eedback o publica ion
Me ada a managemen
Legal compliance
IPR and igh s managemen
Disas e planning
F om Anne R. Kenney and Nancy Y. McGo e n, “The Th ee-legged
S ool: Ins i u ional Response o Digi al P ese a ion (pp )”, II
Con oca o ia del Coloquio de ma zo, Cuba, Ma ch, 2005.
1Da a Managemen Roadshows
h p://www.dcc.ac.uk/e en s/da a-managemen - oadshows
Acknowledgemen s
Thank you o e y use ul commen s om Simon
Hodson, Joy Da idson and Sa ah Jones. The b ie ing
wasalsoin o medbydiscussionwi hMa yVisse ,
Ke in Schu e (Uni e si y o Leices e ), Adam Hu man
(Uni e si y o Manches e ), John Milne (JISC),
Ke in Ashley (DCC), Neil Beag ie and a he MRD
P og amme Wo kshop on 28-9 Ma ch 2011, As on
Business School, Bi mingham wi h inpu om Lau a
Molloy, Janez S ebe, James Wilson, G an Young,
Ca ha ine Wa d, Kellie Snow, Mansu Da ling on,
S ephen G ay, Liz Lyon, S ephane Golds ein, Mikkel
Ch is o e sen, and Alex Ball.
Sou ces o u he
eading
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36 Beag ie, N. Bene i s om he In as uc u e P ojec s in he JISC
Managing Resea ch Da a P og amme. Cha les Beag ie L d,
2011
37 Uni e si y o Leices e . IT se ices S a egic Planning. 2011.
A ailablea :h p://www2.le.ac.uk/o ices/i se ices/abou /
s a egy
38 HEFCE Sha ed Se ices and he Cloud P og amme. A ailable
a :h p://www.jisc.ac.uk/wha wedo/p og ammes/um .aspx
39 Collabo a i e Assessmen o Resea ch Da a In as uc u e and
Objec i es(CARDIO).2011.A ailable om:h p://ca dio.dcc.
ac.uk/
Please ci e his b ie ing pape as:
Why e, A., Tedds, J. (2011). ‘Making he Case o Resea ch Da a
Managemen ’. DCC B ie ing Pape s. Edinbu gh: Digi al Cu a ion
Cen e.
A ailableonline:h p://www.dcc.ac.uk/ esou ces/b ie ing-pape s/
Digi al Cu a ion Cen e, 2011
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