Strategic Approaches to a sustainably funded Institutional Research Data Management
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Summary created by UFR Hawki implementation using Mistral: Here’s a concise summary of the presentation "Building to Last: Strategic Approaches to Sustainably Funded Institutional Research Data Management (RDM)" for a slide deck or handout: --- Key Themes1. Context & Challenge - Universities/institutions need distinct RDM profiles aligned with their research strengths. - Full in-house RDM infrastructure is unsustainable—basic services (e.g., storage, metadata) require external collaboration. - "Projectitis" plagues RDM: Short-term funding misaligns with long-term IT lifecycles, leading to gaps in personnel, maintenance, and governance. 2. Blind Spots in Institutional RDM - Current focus: grant applications, data stewardship, ad-hoc IT support (often opportunistic, not strategic). - Missing: - Reliable access to standardized service layers (e.g., storage, compute). - Legal frameworks for service development (e.g., contracts, data protection). - Sustainable funding models (beyond project grants): - Institutional IT budgets ("commons"). - User invoicing (e.g., 80/20 model: high-volume users pay; base services covered by general funds). - Physical resources (hardware, cloud credits). 3. Solutions for Sustainability - Infrastructure: - Outsource to fill gaps (e.g., national/international providers like NFDI). - Ensure interoperability with institutional systems (e.g., identity management via ORCID/AAI). - Human Resources: - Permanent contracts (not project-dependent). - Flexible assignment to projects with continuous training. - Researcher Support: - Pre-built "legal shells" (e.g., templates for contracts, risk management). - Documentation & training for self-service. - Sovereignty: Institutions must enable researcher autonomy while providing guardrails. 4. Collaboration & Governance - Repurpose project resources into institutional infrastructure. - Cooperate at all levels: - NFDI/consortia: For shared services (e.g., user management, invoicing). - Local/regional: Divide labor (e.g., specialized vs. generalist services). - Governance tools: Use funding/invoicing to steer demand and prioritize services. 5. Takeaways - Projects → Institution: Redirect project outputs (code, workflows, personnel) into sustainable services. - Hybrid funding: Combine grants, institutional budgets, and user contributions. - Focus on interoperability: Avoid silos; design for integration with external providers. ---Visual Aids for Slides- Problem: Diagram of "projectitis" (funding cliff vs. IT lifecycle).- Solution: Flowchart of sustainable RDM layers (institutional → external providers).- Collaboration: Venn diagram of local/NFDI/regional roles.- Funding Model: Pie chart of 80/20 commons vs. user-paid services. ---Call to Action- Institutions: Audit RDM gaps; invest in legal/technical shells for continuity.- Researchers: Leverage institutional support without losing control over data.- NFDI/Providers: Standardize interfaces (invoicing, AAI) to reduce local burden. Contact: [email protected] | Team: Dirk von Suchodoletz, Saskia Hiltemann ---Note: The original notes emphasize pragmatic, modular approaches—avoiding perfectionism in favor of scalable, adaptable solutions. Highlight real-world examples (e.g., NFDI services) if available.
Institution: University of Freiburg
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7081573043
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