First stop: storage. Next stop: the world of research data

The University of Queensland Research Data Manager (UQRDM) was built with the initial goal of providing a safe and documented location to store University research data. Through frequent development and improvement, UQRDM has established itself among the research community at UQ and in Australia as one of the best in the world. In this talk I will discuss the structure and design of UQRDM and how we built a framework that easily evolves and adapts to create a record of research activities and allows integration of the features and services researchers require. The release of UQRDM 2.0 in December 2023 was the largest upgrade to the system and included multiple services and granular user permissions. UQRDM now allows combinations of different services in a single record while allowing management of access permissions to collaborators, individually. The results are a system that aligns itself with each unique project and a research data manager that can expand almost infinitely with new features and services. Two aspects of this expansion are the thesis and examination process for Higher Degree by Research (HDR) candidates and more in-depth Data Management Plans (DMP) that comply with evolving requirements and mandates. UQRDM aims to create a more cohesive and efficient research data management environment, fostering a culture of best practices and continuous improvement. This strategic enhancement will support the university's commitment to research excellence and ensure that all researchers, from HDR students to senior academics, have the tools and resources they need to manage their data effectively.