JISC

The DATUM in Action project (hereafter the RDMP project) aims to help a collaborative group of researchers working on an EU FP7 staff exchange project (hereafter the EU project) to define and implement good research data management practice by developing an appropriate data management plan (DMP) and supporting systems and evaluating their initial implementation.

 The EU project (MATSIQEL), funded under the Marie Curie International Research Staff Exchange Scheme, is accumulating expertise for the mathematical and computer modelling of ageing processes with the aim of developing models which can be implemented in technological solutions (e.g. monitors, telecare, recreational games) for improving and enhancing quality of life. Lead by Professor Angelova, School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences (SCEIS) at Northumbria University, it comprises six work packages involving researchers at Northumbria and in Australia, Bulgaria, Germany, Mexico and South Africa. The RDMP project will focus on one of its work packages (WP5 Quality of Life) lead by Northumbria University and involving staff from SCEIS and the School of Health, Community and Education Studies. The RDMP project builds upon a previous JISCMRD project at Northumbria University, DATUM for Health, which developed training materials for PGR students in the health field, including a DMP tailored from that of the Digital Curation Centre (DCC). The RDMP project will support research staff on the EU project to plan and implement RDM. It will comprise 3 steps, each step being an action research cycle:

1. Requirements analysis (Cycle 1) of the EU project's RDM requirements, building on resources from JISCMRD projects and the UKDA.
2. Data management plan (DMP) (Cycle 2) for the EU project, tailored from the DCC and DATUM for Health DMPs, and building on guidance from e.g. DCC, UKDA, DMTPsych.
3. Supporting infrastructure for RDM (Cycle 3), implementing the DMP using in-house software and shared drives, with an information architecture, templates, protocols, guidance etc. A prototype collaborative software environment will also be developed and assessed.

Objectives

The DATUM in Action project aims to develop the necessary infrastructure (human and technical) to enable a research project (the EU project) develop and implement a data management plan. The objectives are:

1. To conduct a rapid requirements analysis: to develop an understanding of the information and data being used and created in the EU project; to share the concept of the data lifecycle and a DMP with the EU researchers; to gather their RDM requirements.
2. To develop a DMP, tailored from the DCC and DATUM for Health DMPs, customised to meet the requirements identified.
3. To develop and pilot supporting infrastructure for implementing the DMP, based on standard office IT infrastructure and a secure shared network drive.
4. To develop and evaluate an experimental prototype collaborative infrastructure environment.

Anticipated Outputs and Outcomes

1. A short report detailing the RDM requirements analysis for the EU project and a description of the wider information and data development
2. A model DMP and a description of the supporting system/infrastructure, so that the approach can be implemented by other research projects (including the EU project’s other work packages);
3. Guidance and user support documentation
4. An audit trail documenting the tailoring of the DCC’s DMP into the EU project DMP
5. A summary of the key findings and learning from the project which will be placed on the Web and submitted to the DCC.