This handout accompanies the slides of session 4.1 of the RDMRose v3 materials. The JISC funded RDMRose project (June 2012-May 2013) was a collaboration between the libraries of the University of Leeds, Sheffield and York, with the Information School at Sheffield to provide an Open Educational Resource for information professionals on Research Data Management. The materials were revised between November 2014 and February 2015 for the consortium of North West Academic Libraries (NoWAL). http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/research/projects/rdmrose

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Institutional case study
The University
The Universityof Poppletonisamedium-sizeduniversityinthe Westof England.Basedprimarilyon
a city centre site ithas a numberof campus locations anda presence inthe local teachinghospitals.
It has 2000 staff,one thirdof whomare academicand researchstaff.Of its25,000 students,20% are
engagedinpart-time studyandalmost25% are international students.Of the University’s 200
postgraduate students, 540are researchstudents,mostlystudyingfulltime.
The universityisorganisedinfourfaculties,eachof whichhasapproximatelythe same numberof
students,includingPGRs.
 Facultyof Medicine andLife Sciences(FMLS)
 Facultyof Arts and Humanities(FAH)
 Facultyof Science andEngineering(FSE)
 Facultyof Social SciencesandEconomics(FoSSE)
Researchincome ismuchgreaterfor FMLS and FSE than FH and FoSSE.
Strategic plan
Last year the universitypublishedatenyearstrategicplan.It identifiedfourstrategicpriorities:
 To provide anexcellentlearningexperience forstudentsandtoproduce graduateswhoare
knowledgeable,creative,sociallyaware,enterprisingandhighlyemployable
 To strengthenitspositionasa leadingresearchinstitutioninthe UKandglobally
 To have a highimpactbothon regional development
 To developtheirhumanandmaterial resourcesandmanage themina sustainable way
Research
Althoughprimarilyconsideredateachinginstitution,Poppleton didwell inthe REFpushingupthe
league tablescomparedtoitsnatural comparators. The mainthemesof itsresearchstrategyare:
“Investinginpeople,collaborationandcross-fertilization;Subjectexcellence andinterdisciplinarity;
The higheststandardsof quality;Aninfrastructure tosupport excellentresearch”.Itprides itself on
the qualityof itssupportto researchstudents.
ResearchDataManagement
The Universityhasa publishedRDMpolicy,whichwasinfluencedheavilybythe Universityof
Edinburgh’spolicy(http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/information-services/about/policies-
and-regulations/research-data-policy),whichhasbeenemulatedwithjustafew adjustmentsfor
local conditions.

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Stakeholders
PVC Research
The PVC Research,ProfessorGold,isanastronomer.Hisparticulararea of interestisgalaxy
formationandevolution.Pastprojectinvolvementshave includedworkonJodrellBank,the Hubble
space telescope ande-Merlin.He iscurrentlyinvolvedinamajorinternationalLarge Telescope
Project. He is one of the 5% mostcitedof all authorsin space sciences. He iscloselyassociatedwith
publicengagementwithscienceandisan enthusiastforcitizenscience.
Facultyof MedicineandLifeSciences(FMLS)
The facultyDirectorof Researchisan oncologist,ProfessorAlbus.Hisworkhasprimarilybeen inthe
area of clinical trialsof newinterventions,workingcloselywithNHSandpharmaceutical companies.
He ischair of the universityethicscommittee.
FMLS isa tightlyknitfaculty,but,accordingtosome,lesswell integratedintouniversitystructures
than others.There isa strongresearchculture and excellentsupportfordiscipline-specificresearch
methodstrainingforPhDstudentsandearlycareerresearchers.FMLShas world-classresearch
centresinGenetics,MolecularcancerandEye andvisionsciences.The mostrecentgrantwasthe
fundingof a millionpoundDoHstudyinNeuroscience.A datamanagementunit(DAM) supports
data collectionandstorage acrossresearchinRCTs and geneticsresearch.
Facultyof ScienceandEngineering(FSE)
The Director of ResearchinFSE is ProfessorGelb,anAeronautical Engineerwithaninternational
reputationforhisresearchintothe aerodynamicsof aircraft design.Hisresearchprojectshave often
beenco-financedbythe aviationindustry,mostnotablybyAmericancorporations.A recentproject
contributedtothe developmentforLockheedMartinof a prototype jetfightertobe usedbyNATO.
He has a particularconcernto fosterthe developmentof new staff.He isverykeentoimprove the
researchmethodstrainingthatPhDstudentsreceive,seeingthe existingprogramme asalittle
dated.
The Faculty’sresearchcoversall majorengineeringdisciplines,includingcivil,mechanical,electronic
and electrical andchemical engineering.Historicallyithasalwaysbeenone of the biggestandmost
powerful faculties.Mostof itsresearchis fundedbybodiessuchasthe EPSRC,or throughindustry
ties.The Mechanical Engineeringdepartmenthasrecentlybeenawarded£1millionof fundingas
part of a Europeancollaborationwithsevenotherinstitutions.
Facultyof Arts andHumanities(FAH)
The FAH Directorof ResearchisProfessorArgent.He isknownforhisseminal work onthe visual
culture of EnlightenmentFrance.He isthe authorof overtwodozenmonographs.He isa recipient
of the FrenchOrderof AcademicPalms.Althoughclose toretirement,hisinternationalreputation
for bothresearchand pedagogymakeshimaninfluentialfigure inthe institution.
The Facultyhas sevendepartmentsandschools,includingPhilosophy,Classics,History,andthe
schoolsof English,andModernLanguagesand Cultures.A recentstudyof time use showedthat
academicsinFAH spendthree hoursonpersonal researchtoeveryone houron fundedresearch.
Researchismostlyconductedbyindividualsworkingwithscholarsinthe same specialismatother
institutions.Primarysourcesof fundingare the AHRCand charities,suchasLeverhulme.

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The Digital HumanitiesInstitute hasbeeninvolvedindigitisationprojectsincollaborationwiththe
Wellcome Trustandthe BritishFilmInstitute,bothof whichhave attractedsome attentioninthe
national media.Theyhave beencloselyinvolvedinDataCite.
Facultyof Social Sciences andEconomics(FoSSE)
The facultyDirectorof ResearchisProfessorGris,a sociologistknownforherworkon modelling
urban developmentinthe UK,primarilyusingcensusandhouseholdsurveydata.She isone of the
youngestprofessorsinthe universityandafamiliarfigure inthe national media.She isonthe board
of the UK Data Archive.
The facultyhas the reputationof beingverydiverseinitsmake-up,withalarge businessschool,
strongdepartmentsof mediastudies, sociologyandlaw,andmuchsmallerdepartmentsof
geography,educationandpolitics.Yetthe facultyhasa strongreputationforinterdisciplinary
researchand wasrecentlyawardeda£0.5 milliongrantfora networkof excellence onurbanism
betweenmediastudies,geography,lawandthe businessschool.Qualitative researchisanother
strength,withawell-respectedtrainingprogramme inresearchmethods.
TheComputingService
Mr Rosso,the Directorof the Universitycomputingservice,ComITs,isnew inpostinthe lastyear.
His backgroundisincomputersecurityandrisk.He hasworkedat a numberof otheruniversities,
where he gainedthe reputationforpushingthroughopensource solutionsagainstsome resistance.
The Service missionissummarisedas:
 To ensure secure andresilientcore services,tosupportlearningandteachingandresearch
 To innovate continuously
 To provide promptandtrustworthyusersupport
 To provide timelyandaccurate corporate information
Moodle isthe university’sVLE.
ComITscurrentlysupplyafewservicesspecificallyforresearchersandresearchgroups,including
data storage.A numberof approachesare currentlysupportedincludingnetworkedfilestore and
largerpaidfor facilitiesforprojects.
ComITsprovide the technical supportforthe University’sinstitutionalrepository,whichisrun
administrativelybythe Libraryandcontainsresearchoutputssuchas peer-reviewedjournalarticles,
bookchapters,and PhDtheses.A draftresearchsupportstrategyisin discussion,pointingtothe
growingsignificance of the subjecttothe service.
TheLibrary
The libraryhas a collectionof 1 millionbooks.Itisbasedonthree sites:The mainlibrary,a city
centre learningcentre andthe medicine andlifescienceslibraryinone of the cityhospitals.Special
collectionsinclude alarge collectionof C19thand 20th
political pamphlets.The libraryhasaround 50
staff,including15professional staffandisorganisedinfive units:
 Budgetingandcentral administration;
 Acquisitions, cataloguing,documentsupplyandIT;

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 Special collections;
 Liaisonandinformationliteracy;
 Customerservicesandadvice.
The librarymissionstatementemphasises:
 Supportfor an outstandingstudentlearningexperience;
 Resourcesforworldclassresearch;
 A balancedapproachto the developmentof physical andvirtual services.
The libraryusesePrintsforitsinstitutional repository.The libraryDirector,MrsBrun, is well-known
for herkeennessfora“self-service”concept.
TheResearchandKnowledgeCommercialisationDirectorate
Dr Zwart is Directorof the unit.HisbackgroundisinEnvironmental Science.He hasbeeninpostfor
five years.His twelve staff are basedinthree locationsaroundthe maincampus.Teamsare
organisedprimarilybyfunder.Inadditionthere isaknowledge commercialisationunit.
The directorate’sobjectivesare:
 To supportacademicdepartmentsandresearchgroupstomaximise grantcapture
 To supportknowledge commercialisation
 To fosteran excellentresearchenvironment;includingthe developmentof researchstaff
and researchstudents
 To ensure qualityinresearchprocesses,includingresearchethics
 To enhance andmeasure the impactof universityresearch
HumanResources
Human Resourcesisheadedbyamid-careermanagerwithabackgroundinbusinessstudies,Ms
Glas.She has beenwiththe universityfor10 years,but onlyrecentlybeenappointedasDirectorof
Human Resources.She has 20 staff,locatedinaprestigiousnewlybuiltwingof the University’smain
building.She hascommissionedthe expensive artworkinthe main entrance hall herselffroma
renownedlocal artist.
The visionof the departmentof HumanResourcesisto enable the deliveryof the University’s
strategicgoals.HR define staff initsmissionstatementasthe basisof the University’ssuccess,
whethertheyare deliveringcutting-edgeresearch,state-of-the-artteaching,orvital support
services.
Theyhave three teams:
 Employmentservices(thisteamincludesemployee relations,payandpensions,and
traininganddevelopment),
 Sharedservices(recruitmentadministration,andHRinformationsystems),
 Organisational developmentservices(developingHRstrategyandworkingonbusiness
partnering).

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The Trainingand Developmentteamdeliverinductioncoursesfornew staff,andprovide staff
developmentinitiativestosupportthe University’sstrategy:bothgeneral workshopsforall staff,
and coursesappropriate tospecificstaff groups,suchasresearchersandresearchsupportstaff.
Theyalsoprovide bespoke trainingforteamsanddepartments.The trainingteamconsistsof five
staff,andis headedbya relativelyjuniormanager.
TheRecordsUnitand UniversityArchive
Mr Orenis the university’sRecordsManagerandArchivist.He wasformerlythe headof recordsina
large NHS trust.He has twopart time staff,one of whomspecialisesinIPRandcopyright.The
primaryresponsibilitiesare tosupportthe core administrative functioningandaudittrail withinthe
universityandto meetlegislative andregulatoryrequirements.The Recordsunitmaintainsapaper
basedrecordsstore of over6000 standardrecord centre boxes,includingstudentfilesand
departmental administrativerecordsandsome projectarchives.The RecordsunitandArchive is
responsible forFreedomof Informationrequestsandoffersadvice onDataProtectionAct
compliance.Itoffersdepartmental briefingsandalarge guidance website.Theyalsoruna web
basedcopyrightadvisoryservice.