Systematic assessment of the prerequisites for institutional RDM services at a German University of Applied Sciences

This record provides the slides from the presentation "Systematic assessment of the prerequisites for institutional RDM services at a German University of Applied Sciences" given at "E-Science-Tage 2025" in Heidelberg on 13.03.2025. Presentation abstract: The project “FitForFDM” intends to perform a comprehensive review of the research data management (RDM) landscape at the HTW University of Applied Sciences in Berlin. The main aims of the project are i) to collect the demands and challenges defining the status quo of RDM practices, and ii) to formulate recommendations and provide support materials for the university-wide organisation of RDM services. The presentation will outline the means taken to achieve objective i) as well as summarize the results obtained thus far. Methods employed and adjusted in our project shall serve as a reusable example for other Universities of Applied Sciences wishing to improve their RDM services. Based on broadly accepted recommendations (e.g. FAIR Principles) and requirements of funding bodies (DFG/GRF, BMBF, European Commission), a set of keywords regarding practical implementation of RDM in research projects was defined. Next, a questionnaire aimed at research practitioners was derived and applied in semi-structured expert interviews. Five cooperating projects were chosen to cover all faculties of the university. In parallel, central data services were examined in terms of technical properties (e.g. data versioning), intended use and practical usability for scientific activities. From the combination of the two information sources, a comprehensible initial picture of RDM practices and limitations emerged. To augment the still superficial description of the status quo of the institutional RDM, numerous actors indirectly involved in the research process were inquired about specific subtopics: counsellors from a project management office, laboratory engineers, data- and cybersecurity officers, and IT-support members. Additionally, the project stayed in regular contact with the representatives of the central university units as well as of single faculties, who gave information on top-down constrains on provided services. The engagement of all stakeholders through thematized individual interviews allowed the determination of requirements for institutional RDM to become a broadly participatory process. Conclusions from the above described examination include: [a] broad spread of needs regarding data services, dependent mainly on the size of a %scientific project and sometimes already fulfilled by existing services, [b] limited understanding of FAIR Principles and data archiving, [c] lack of common practices for metadata creation or RDM formalisation through data %management plans, [d] necessity of university-wide unification and broadening of RDM-relevant services, %including counselling and training. Some of the recorded difficulties stem from the strong interconnection between research and teaching activities characteristic for Universities of Applied Sciences. This fact puts additional pressure on the provided infrastructure to ensure safe and flexible environment equally adapted to both. Further steps in the project involve establishing a university RDM policy and strategy as well as practical guidelines for researchers. The expected applicability of the first policy proposal was already tested through a new set of interviews with active research projects. Among other outputs are a Moodle course on RDM for scientists and a One-Stop-Shop aggregating information on all aspects, services and contact persons relevant for the topic of RDM together with a number of infographics and checklists customized to the specific local landscape of support.