We recently surveyed UK Higher Education Institutions on their plans for Research Data Management (RDM) to inform our own RDM project - the results can be found on my blog at http://martinh.net. These slides are a summary of the results which we presented to EPSRC in November 2013.

1. RDM in UK HE
Survey Results:
Presentation to
EPSRC
Martin Hamilton
Sue Manuel
Loughborough University
[Photo credit: Metadata is a Love Note to the
Future, photo by @kissane]

2. 1. Why RDM?
2. The Survey
3. Results & Analysis
4. Conclusions
Photo credit: CC-BY-NC-ND Flickr user Wordshore

3. 1. Why RDM?
2. The Survey
3. Results & Analysis
4. Conclusions
Photo credit: CC-BY-NC-ND Flickr user Wordshore

4. 1. Why RDM?
“Systematic management and sharing of research data has many benefits for the research
community and the public. These include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Increasing the visibility of research and generating citations, leading to growth of scientific
reputation of individual researchers, their research teams and their institutions
Reinforcing open scientific inquiry
Protecting against use of faulty data by allowing published results to be independently
verified, refuted or refined, thus improving the overall quality of research and encouraging
diversity of analysis and opinion and helping to resolve scientific disputes
Stimulating new approaches to data collection and methods of analysis
Increasing awareness of research in related areas leading to more opportunities for
collaboration
Allowing re-use of data for research not foreseen by the initial investigators – this increases
the efficiency of use of public funding by avoiding unnecessary duplication of data collection.
Permitting the creation of more highly powered data analysis by combining data from
multiple sources
Facilitating education of new researchers and the wider public”
[From the EPSRC Policy Framework on Research Data]

5. 1. Why RDM?
2. The Survey
3. Results & Analysis
4. Conclusions
Photo credit: CC-BY-NC-ND Flickr user Wordshore

6. 2. The Survey

7. 2. The Survey

8. 2. The Survey

9. 2. The Survey
Bangor University
Bath Spa University
Birkbeck, University of London
Buckinghamshire New University
Cardiff University
Cranfield University
De Montfort University
Durham University
King's College London
London School of Economics and Political Science
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Loughborough University
Newcastle University
Oxford Brookes University
Queen Margaret University
Royal Holloway University of London
SOAS
The Open University
+ others not in public write-up yet
University College London
University of Aberdeen
University of Bath
University of Bristol
University of East London
University of Edinburgh
University of Glasgow
University of Hertfordshire
University of Hull
University of Kent
University of Leeds
University of Leicester
University of Liverpool
University of Northampton
University of Oxford
University of Sheffield
University of Southampton
University of Stirling
University of Strathclyde
University of Surrey

10. 2. The Survey
EPSRC Framework Universities:
Regional Research Consortia:
Bristol*
Cambridge
Imperial
Leeds*
Loughborough*
Manchester
Newcastle*
Nottingham
Oxford*
Sheffield*
Southampton*
UCL*
M5: Aston, Birmingham, Leicester*,
Loughborough*, Nottingham, Warwick*
N8: Durham*, Lancaster, Leeds*,
Liverpool*, Manchester, Newcastle*,
Sheffield*, York
GW4: Bath*, Bristol*, Cardiff*, Exeter
SES-5: Cambridge, Imperial, Oxford*,
Southampton*
+ Influence of JISC MRD programme, DCC engagement

11. 1. Why RDM?
2. The Survey
3. Results & Analysis
4. Conclusions
Photo credit: CC-BY-NC-ND Flickr user Wordshore

12. 3. Results & Analysis
Full write-up available from
http://goo.gl/VAaf8U
(1,512 page views to date:
9th Oct – 7th Nov 2013)
Results also made available
as Open Data via Figshare
(265 downloads to date)

13. 3. Results & Analysis

14. 3. Results & Analysis

15. 3. Results & Analysis

16. 3. Results & Analysis
Does your institution have a Research Data
Management Policy?
31 of the respondents (82%) had either a draft RDM
policy, or one that had already been approved
institutionally.

17. 3. Results & Analysis
Does your institution have a Research Data Service?
6 of the responding institutions (16%) had an
operational Research Data Service, with a further 25
(66%) under development.

18. 3. Results & Analysis
Scope of Research Data Service
Most common scenario was "repository of last resort”.
No respondents had mandated use of their Research
Data Service for all research outputs.

19. 3. Results & Analysis
Extent of data to be held in Research Data Service

20. 3. Results & Analysis
Extent of data to be held in Research Data Service

21. 3. Results & Analysis
Categories of information your Research Data Service stores
Institutions were storing or aiming to provide facilities for
both data and metadata in their Research Data Services.

22. 3. Results & Analysis
What software does your Research Data Service use?
Mainly Research Information Systems and/or Institutional
Repository software, plus locally developed systems.

23. 3. Results & Analysis
What software does your Research Data Service use?
Mainly Research Information Systems and/or Institutional
Repository software, plus locally developed systems.

24. 3. Results & Analysis
How much storage is available for research data sets?
Note: Most respondents did not provide a figure here.

25. 3. Results & Analysis
How much storage is each researcher allocated by default?
Respondents were advised to round up or down to the
nearest TB if the the survey form was not an exact match.

26. 3. Results & Analysis
5TB x 1,000 researchers
= 0.5PB
Going rate ~£250K + VAT
How much storage is each researcher allocated by default?
Respondents were advised to round up or down to the
nearest TB if the the survey form was not an exact match.

27. 3. Results & Analysis
Does your institution charge for the Research Data service?
6 institutions said they did not charge for their Research Data
Service. No institutions said they would charge for all usage.

28. 3. Results & Analysis
Support available for Research Data Management at your institution
Respondents were asked to quantify the areas where their institution
was offering or aiming to offer support for RDM.

29. 3. Results & Analysis
Support available for Research Data Management at your institution
Respondents were asked to quantify the areas where their institution
was offering or aiming to offer support for RDM.

30. 3. Results & Analysis
Institutional support for RDM (example):
1. One-to-one advice and guidance for projects
2. RDM support site
3. RDM training events for staff
4. RDM training events for students
5. Web-based RDM training for overseas staff
and distance learners

31. 3. Results & Analysis
Staffing, sector wide picture:
Summary
Project Manager
Data Librarian
IT Support
Research Support
Other
TOTAL
Fixed Term
8
4.5
6.5
3
6.5
28.5
Permanent
2
9
4
2
5.5
22.5

32. 3. Results & Analysis
Staffing, sector wide picture:
Summary
Project Manager
Data Librarian
IT Support
Research Support
Other
TOTAL
Fixed Term
8
4.5
6.5
3
6.5
28.5
Permanent
2
9
4
2
5.5
22.5

33. 3. Results & Analysis
Staffing: Project Management

34. 3. Results & Analysis
Staffing: Data Librarian

35. 3. Results & Analysis
Staffing: IT Support

36. 3. Results & Analysis
Staffing: Research Support

37. 1. Why RDM?
2. The Survey
3. Results & Analysis
4. Conclusions
Photo credit: CC-BY-NC-ND Flickr user Wordshore

38. 4. Conclusions
• Most institutions are still feeling their way
• Headstart for Jisc funded + DCC engaged
• Serious infrastructure investment by those who
have built a Research Data Service
• Services largely built in-house upon familiar
institutional systems and services, e.g. RIS, IR
• Aim to store both metadata and data
• Support programmes are seen as key to success
• Large proportion of staffing is fixed term - skills
lost if not transferred at end of contract?

39. 4. Conclusions
Research Data Management Policy
UK HEI
40%
Jisc funded
60%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
60% (9 out of 15) of the Jisc-funded institutions have a RDM policy
compared with 40% (15 out of 38) of the whole sample.
(analysis by Stephane Goldstein, RIN)

40. 4. Conclusions
Research Data service
UK HEI
16%
Jisc funded
33%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
33% (5 out of 15) of those receiving Jisc funding have a research
data service in place, but this proportion falls to 16% for the
sample as a whole.
(analysis by Stephane Goldstein, RIN)

41. RDM in UK HE
Survey Results:
Presentation to
EPSRC
Martin Hamilton
Sue Manuel
Loughborough University
[Photo credit: Metadata is a Love Note to the
Future, photo by @kissane]