Data Management in Integrated Research Institutes: Undertaking a Review of Research Data Management at the Rosalind Franklin Institute

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive review of research data management practices at the Rosalind Franklin Institute, emphasizing methodology, stakeholder engagement, and benchmarking to improve data handling aligned with open research principles.

Contribution

It introduces an institute-wide review process for research data management, including stakeholder interviews, workshops, and benchmarking, to enhance data practices and inform ongoing improvements.

Findings

Current practices identified and areas for improvement

Workshops provided actionable insights for researchers

Benchmarking established a baseline for future progress

Abstract

Managing Research Data, and making it available for use/reuse by others in line with the UKRI Concordat on Open Research Data and FAIR principles, is a major issue for research-intensive organisations. In this case study we outline an institute-wide review of data management in practice, carried out at the Rosalind Franklin Institute (The Franklin) in partnership with external consultants, Curlew Research, in March 2022. We aim to describe the processes involved in undertaking a review of the services already in place that support good practice in managing research data, and their uptake, with an emphasis on the methodology used. We conducted interviews with scientific Theme Leads which set the scope for the Data Management Workshops subsequently held with Researchers. Workshops were valuable in both providing actionable insights for data management and in priming the audience for future discussions. The final report produced for The Franklin, summarising results of the analysis, provides a snapshot of current practice for the Institute, highlighting what is working well and where improvements might be made, and provides a benchmark against which development can be measured in the coming years. The Review will continue to be conducted on an annual basis, reflecting changes in a fast-moving area and enabling an agile approach to research data management.