SURA has launched an institutional tool for Research Data Management (RDM), developed by a working group formed with the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL). The working group brings together CIOs and library professionals from SURA member institutions to explore collaborations for improving their ability to manage the rapidly growing volume of research data.
The working group produced an institutional "Step-By-Step Guide to Data Management," which is being used to identify gaps in existing RDM processes and guide future efforts of the group. The group has also built a discipline specific metadata scheme directory to assist researchers in finding existing metadata models for their research data. Materials associated with the work of this group are available on the ASERL/SURA RDM WiKi: http://www.lib.ua.edu/wiki/sura/
The group, comprised of over 50 individuals from more than 25 SURA member institutions, meets in bi-weekly conference calls to develop and prioritize RDM topics. The "Step-By-Step Guide to Data Management" was developed as the result of a survey of the SURA membership to identify goals and projects for improving the management of institutional research data.
The effort has been driven by new requirements from funding agencies and the research communities' needs to effectively manage the ever-increasing size of its data sets. The National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other research sponsors now require a comprehensive data management plan as part of all new funding proposals. Other factors:
- Ensuring research integrity and replication and the accuracy and reliability of data and records;
- Increasing research efficiency;
- Enhancing data security and minimizing the risk of data loss;
- Preventing duplication of effort by enabling others to use data; and
- Complying with practices conducted in industry and commerce.
This Research Data Management Project is but one of SURA's many scientific and educational collaborations among its member institutions, other leading research universities, and government agencies.
A copy of the guide can be found at: http://sura.org/news/docs/RDMStepGuide101512.pdf
The Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) is a consortium of over 60 leading research institutions in the southern United States and the District of Columbia established in 1980 as a non-stock, nonprofit corporation. SURA serves as an entity through which colleges, universities, and other organizations may cooperate with one another, and with government and industry in acquiring, developing, and using laboratories and other research facilities and in furthering knowledge and the application of that knowledge in the physical, biological, and other natural sciences and engineering. For more information, visit www.sura.org.