Developing Research Data Management Capability: the View from a National Support Service: Paper - iPRES 2012 - Digital Curation Institute, iSchool, Toronto

An increasing number of UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are developing Research Data Management (RDM) support services. Their action reflects a changing technical, social and political environment, guided by principles set out in the Research Councils UK (RCUK) Common Principles on Data Policy. These reiterate expectations that publicly-funded research should be openly accessible, requiring that research data are effectively managed. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) policy framework is particularly significant, as it sets a timeframe for institutions to develop and implement a roadmap for research data management. The UK Digital Curation Centre (DCC) is responding to such changes by supporting universities to develop their capacity and capability for research data management. This paper describes an ‘institutional engagement’ programme, identifying our approach, and providing examples of work undertaken with UK universities to develop and implement RDM services. We are working with twenty-one HEIs over an eighteen month period, across a range of institution types, with a balance in research strengths and geographic spread. The support provided varies based on needs, but may include advocacy and awareness raising, defining user requirements, policy development, piloting tools and training. Through this programme we will develop a service model for institutional support and a transferable RDM toolkit