Establishing a research data management strategy

Drawing of the side profile of a person with a ligh explosion in brain and numbers all around

The development of a comprehensive Research Data Management (RDM) strategy at the University of Waterloo is a step closer to a long-term vision. The institutional strategy will define how data is responsibly and securely managed and appropriately shared.

With a plan to publish an RDM strategy by March 2023, one of the first tasks for the working group and advisory committee along with technology planning consultancy, Athenaeum21 was to conduct an environmental scan to determine current resources on campus, gaps that exist, and how data management could be enhanced. Supported by funding from the Government of Canada’s Incremental (IPG) Project Grant, information from 476 survey responses (254 faculty, 166 graduate students, and researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and staff) and data from 52 interviews were collected.

The overall strategy is mandated by the federal government to ensure research data collected meets the highest standards in research excellence, and the next step in the creation of the future of research data management at Waterloo.

June 2022