Mapping data stewardship in Italy: Findings from the first national survey

Research data management plays a key role in ensuring research reproducibility and transparency by supporting data sharing in line with Open Science principles. Professional figures supporting data management practices, such as data stewards, are emerging in the international landscape, following different paths. The Italian Computing and Data Infrastructure, with the support of the Skills4EOSC project, conducted a national survey between April and December 2023 to map the presence, roles, and activities of data stewards or equivalent professionals across universities and research institutions, to provide an initial and systematic overview of the national landscape, which is known to be fragmented and lacking of clear professional recognition for research support professionals. The survey, administered in Italian through the EUSurvey platform, consisted of 13 closed-ended questions addressing institutional organisation, professional background, and support activities related to research data management. Data cleaning was performed on the 77 valid entries collected (out of 88 responses) before conducting the descriptive analyses. Results indicate that most institutions employ staff performing data management support tasks which map to the definition of data stewardship, though these professionals are rarely formally recognised with that title. Hence, the variety of job titles observed reflects the absence of a standardised professional profile. Among the data management support tasks investigated, the most common include FAIR data management support, data management plan writing, researcher training, and policy consultancy. These findings provide the basis to establish the Italian Data Steward Community in order to overcome the fragmentation through peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and support, and to advance the definition of a professionalisation pathway for data stewards in Italy. The findings of this survey can serve as a case study to help data stewards, research data professionals, and policymakers in other countries to map and understand their local landscape.

Good research depends on data that are well organised, well documented, and easy to share. Managing research data properly helps make research more transparent, trustworthy, and reusable, in line with Open Science principles. To support researchers with data management tasks, new professional roles are emerging. One of these roles is often called data steward, although this job title is not used consistently.

This study explores how data management support is organised in Italian universities and research institutions. Between April and December 2023, the Italian Computing and Data Infrastructure, supported by the Horizon Europe Skills4EOSC project, carried out a national survey to understand who provides data management support, what they do, and how they are recognised within their institutions.

The survey included 13 multiple-choice questions and was completed by 88 respondents, of whom 77 were suitable for analysis. The results show that many institutions already have staff members who support researchers with tasks such as writing data management plans, applying FAIR data principles, training researchers, and advising on data policies. However, these professionals often have different job titles and are rarely formally recognised as data stewards.

The study highlights a fragmented landscape and a lack of a clear professional profile in Italy. Based on these findings, the authors propose the creation of an Italian Data Steward Community to encourage knowledge sharing, reduce fragmentation, and support the development of a clear professional pathway. The results may also help other countries better understand and map their own data stewardship landscape.