Turning Demands Into Practice: RDM Compas Survey Evidence to Strengthen RDM Professionals Training

Ongoing changes in research infrastructure, including rapid technological developments and the emergence of new data types, more than ever require high-quality, sustainable and FAIR (findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability) research data management (RDM). Despite growing attention to RDM in recent years and a growing number of learning materials and training offers for researchers, significant gaps remain in both RDM competences and the availability of appropriate training materials for RDM professionals, such as data stewards, data curators, and RDM trainers, as well as unclear roles and responsibilities. To address these problems, KonsortSWD developed RDM Compas, an information and training platform specifically tailored to the needs of RDM professionals in the social, behavioural, educational, and economic sciences. By providing targeted and capacity-building information and training materials, RDM Compas aims to support and strengthen substantial research data curation competences among RDM professionals. To ensure that their needs are met adequately in the further development of the platform, we conducted a mixed-methods demands survey to identify current challenges, competence gaps and training needs. This presentation will discuss key survey results and demonstrate how they inform the ongoing development and expansion of the RDM Compas online platform. In addition, we will showcase specific user scenarios illustrating the improvements implemented as a result.