1. National Coordination Point for Research Data Management in the Netherlands

How do we deal with the explosion of data we are facing in education and research in the Netherlands? How can we store all this data so that it remains accessible for reuse, also in the long term? How do we safeguard scientific integrity? The National Coordination Point for Research Data Management facilitates a national strategy for research data management.

In 2015 SURF (www.surf.nl), at request of the VSNU – the Association of Dutch Universities, set up this National Coordination Point for Research Data Management, to facilitate and enhance cooperation and knowledge sharing on all aspects of Research Data Management. The National Coordination Point is based at SURFsara (www.surfsara.nl), one of the working companies of SURF, and is embedded in the SURF Innovation Programme for Sustainable Data (2015-2018).

The National Coordination Point supports the development and implementation of research data management policy for scientific research in the Netherlands and stimulates cooperation among the various stakeholders. Close cooperation with education and research institutions is crucial to this, allowing the Netherlands to efficiently and effectively develop and implement management policy for research data.

How do we achieve this goal? By collecting and disseminating knowledge and information, bringing together the right people, facilitating existing initiatives, providing access to expertise and monitoring developments.

The management of research data is multifaceted. Together with the institutions, we have identified five issues that the National Coordination Point will take up the coming three years: facilities and data infrastructure; legal aspects and ownership; financial aspects; awareness raising/engagement; and support of the researcher.

For each of these issues a Working Group has been formed. The members of each Working Group represent the relevant stake holder groups in a specific area and the Working Groups over all have an broad national coverage.

To get started, the Working Group members, together with the Working Group leaders, all formulated a detailed Working Agenda, to focus on short term, midterm and long term goals to be achieved in their specific area.

To be able to support the researcher in good Research Data Management throughout the whole RDM Life Cycle, the Working Groups feel that close cooperation between experts in IT, Research Support and Policy (including legal and financial policy) is crusial.

The Working Groups work on a tactical level, formulating policies, standards and guidelines, and will escalate the results of their efforts on a strategic level.

Besides facilitating the aforementioned Working Groups, the National Coordination Point collects and disseminates knowledge, tools, standards and best practices on research data management via a website, a platform and an online news letter, to enhance dialogue and the exchange of knowledge and ideas.The website will be available in March 2016 under www.researchdatamanagement.nl

The over all perspective of the National Coordination Point Research Data Management has been written down in a Roadmap, which is currently available through the SURF website:

https://www.surf.nl/en/innovationprojects/sustainable-data/national-research-data-management-coordination-point.html (Dutch only for the time being – but will be translated at short notice).