Strategic Approaches to a sustainably funded Institutional Research Data Management

Summary created by UFR Hawki implementation using Mistral:

Here’s a concise summary of the presentation "Building to Last: Strategic Approaches to Sustainably Funded Institutional Research Data Management (RDM)" for a slide deck or handout:

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Key Themes
1. Context & Challenge
   - Universities/institutions need distinct RDM profiles aligned with their research strengths.
   - Full in-house RDM infrastructure is unsustainable—basic services (e.g., storage, metadata) require external collaboration.
   - "Projectitis" plagues RDM: Short-term funding misaligns with long-term IT lifecycles, leading to gaps in personnel, maintenance, and governance.

2. Blind Spots in Institutional RDM
   - Current focus: grant applications, data stewardship, ad-hoc IT support (often opportunistic, not strategic).
   - Missing:
     - Reliable access to standardized service layers (e.g., storage, compute).
     - Legal frameworks for service development (e.g., contracts, data protection).
     - Sustainable funding models (beyond project grants):
       - Institutional IT budgets ("commons").
       - User invoicing (e.g., 80/20 model: high-volume users pay; base services covered by general funds).
       - Physical resources (hardware, cloud credits).

3. Solutions for Sustainability
   - Infrastructure:
     - Outsource to fill gaps (e.g., national/international providers like NFDI).
     - Ensure interoperability with institutional systems (e.g., identity management via ORCID/AAI).
   - Human Resources:
     - Permanent contracts (not project-dependent).
     - Flexible assignment to projects with continuous training.
   - Researcher Support:
     - Pre-built "legal shells" (e.g., templates for contracts, risk management).
     - Documentation & training for self-service.
   - Sovereignty: Institutions must enable researcher autonomy while providing guardrails.

4. Collaboration & Governance
   - Repurpose project resources into institutional infrastructure.
   - Cooperate at all levels:
     - NFDI/consortia: For shared services (e.g., user management, invoicing).
     - Local/regional: Divide labor (e.g., specialized vs. generalist services).
   - Governance tools: Use funding/invoicing to steer demand and prioritize services.

5. Takeaways
   - Projects → Institution: Redirect project outputs (code, workflows, personnel) into sustainable services.
   - Hybrid funding: Combine grants, institutional budgets, and user contributions.
   - Focus on interoperability: Avoid silos; design for integration with external providers.

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Visual Aids for Slides
- Problem: Diagram of "projectitis" (funding cliff vs. IT lifecycle).
- Solution: Flowchart of sustainable RDM layers (institutional → external providers).
- Collaboration: Venn diagram of local/NFDI/regional roles.
- Funding Model: Pie chart of 80/20 commons vs. user-paid services.

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Call to Action
- Institutions: Audit RDM gaps; invest in legal/technical shells for continuity.
- Researchers: Leverage institutional support without losing control over data.
- NFDI/Providers: Standardize interfaces (invoicing, AAI) to reduce local burden.

Contact: jan.leendertse@rz.uni-freiburg.de | Team: Dirk von Suchodoletz, Saskia Hiltemann

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Note: The original notes emphasize pragmatic, modular approaches—avoiding perfectionism in favor of scalable, adaptable solutions. Highlight real-world examples (e.g., NFDI services) if available.