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RDM support: wrap-up of 2023, plans for 2024 & expert tips

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December 1, 2023

RDM support looks back at an interactive and very productive year. We supported many researchers and expanded the WUR data steward community. In this article, we highlight our main activities and plans for 2024. We've also gathered some tips along the way that we’d like to share.

Expert tips

Did you know that:

  1. each research group or each chair group has a dedicated data steward, who is the first point of contact for questions on research data management (RDM). Do you want to know your data steward is? Check out the data steward list on the intranet;
  2. each Science Group has an Information Security Officer (ISO) and a Privacy Officer (PO)? They can help you determine the data classification and advise you in dealing with personal and sensitive data. Check out the ISO intranet page and the PO intranet page;
  3. research funders ZonMW and NWO allow you to use the WUR data management plan (DMP) template, and that Horizon / EC / ERC funded projects don’t make their own templates mandatory. The WUR DMP template is better aligned with policies and possibilities at WUR. We strongly recommend using it;
  4. DMPonline is a handy tool to write your DMP. Check the RDM support manual on how to get started in DMPonline and the filled in WUR DMP example.

Activities in 2023

To highlight, we:

  • published the WUR data documentation & metadata package + guidance, WUR RDM course, and data sharing infographic, which are all available in the WUR-RDM-support community in Zenodo;
  • welcomed 16 data stewards to our ever expanding group of data stewards and coordinating data stewards, resulting in a community of 181 (coordinating) data stewards;
  • organised another edition of the Wageningen Model and Data day for data stewards, modellers and model stewards to meet and exchange ideas. The day attracted 160 participants for 26 different sessions;
  • answered hundreds of questions (data@wur.nl), in close collaboration with POs, ISOs, data stewards, and legal support;
  • and reviewed over 200 data management plans, mostly in DMPonline.

Plans for 2024

We are far from done. We look forward to supporting you with RDM matters in 2024 and we plan to:

  • publish the WUR software management plan template. It's not a requirement yet, but as research software is becoming increasingly more important, we foresee that research funders will include this in their policies in the near future;
  • update the data documentation / metadata package + guidance into a package where research software is also addressed;
  • create a WUR data management plan template for MSc students;
  • organise another Wageningen Model and Data day.

We wish you wonderful holidays and an even better New Year.

Irene, Joost, Danny, Shauna

RDM support team