February 2023

Introduction:

The Tri-Council (SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR) has mandated that all institutions that receive federal government funding must create an institutional Research and Data Management (RDM) strategy. The strategy needs to reflect the institution’s particular circumstances (such as size, research intensity, and existing RDM capacity), but the agencies expect “strategies that outline how the institution will provide its researchers with an environment that enables and supports RDM.” The strategy is a working document and will be updated to reflect the changing needs of the institution.

The strategy below takes into consideration that:

  1. Data sets are an important research output of some research projects.
  2. Researchers need support in their efforts to establish and implement data management practices consistent with TCPS2 (Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans) and RCR (Responsible Conduct of Research).
  3. Researchers need guidance on how to properly manage data in accordance with the principles outlined in the Tri-Agency Statement of Principles on Digital Data.
  4. Consideration must be made of established best practices when developing institutional standards and policies for plans.
  5. There may be a need to develop support for, and/or the provision of, repository services or other platforms that securely preserve, curate, and provide appropriate access to research data.

Planned steps:

1. Assess the current state of Redeemer’s RDM

(to be done in 2023)

  • Conduct an inventory of institutional assets and practices for data management by surveying faculty of current data practices, current expectations, and desired supports.
  • Evaluate current practices of faculty and any existing supports and services in terms of availability, funding/costs, staff support used, and sustainability. Include a comparison to policies at other institutions.

2. Develop a more detailed RDM plan

(first draft to be complete in spring 2024)

  • Develop a realistic future state for institutional RDM
  • Identify parameters of a planned RDM policy including:
    • Delineating the scope of the policy/strategy
    • Articulating the importance of research data and research data management
    • Staffing (e.g., research office)
    • Potential costs (e.g., database requirements or faculty supports)
    • Training and promotion (e.g., research office and/or library archivist)
    • Policy intersections (e.g. integrity in research policy, research ethics policy)
    • Storage needs and changing technologies. Data storage should be as accessible as possible, but take into account ethical and other constraints.
    • Long-term preservation of data
    • Stakeholder considerations (e.g. faculty, students, staff, community members)
    • Indigenous data considerations
    • Ethical considerations

3. Articulate a path forward

Implementation pieces . Identify and outline necessary steps to achieve the future state; these may include:

  • Create and adopt guidelines, procedures, templates, and any policies for data management as needed
  • Develop access to RDM resources and tools
  • Develop workshops for training of faculty
  • Providing any necessary funding, staffing, and/or training
  • Ways to align RDM strategy with other institutional policies and procedures
  • Establishing a timeframe, assigning responsibilities, and determining frequency of review
  • (to be started in Fall 2024)

The Data Management Strategy Working Group includes representation from the Research Office, Library Services, Information Technology Services and the Faculty Research Committee.