RDM @ KU Leuven: De verbindende kracht van het Research Data Management Competentiecentrum

1. Research Data Management
@ KU Leuven
De verbindende kracht van het RDM Competentiecentrum
VVBAD, 14 oktober 2021
Nathalie Claes, Ingrid Barcena-Roig, Rachel Geenens, Veerle Van den Eynden

2. RDM Competence Centre
Research data and their management

3. RDM Competence Centre
KU Leuven data policy
KU Leuven considers research data as a valuable
research output, an asset to KU Leuven and a critical
contribution to the knowledge economy. A high
standard of research data management is
fundamental to both high quality research and
academic integrity.

4. Research funders
• FWO research policy: write a DMP,
manage data well, keep for 5 years
• Belspo open research data policy:
FAIR and open data; write a DMP
• H2020 data management: FAIR and
open data, write a DMP
• Horizon Europe: Open Science
practices, write and publish DMP,
FAIR data and outputs
• Journal publishers: data availability
statement, or post data to a trusted
repository
RDM Competence Centre

5. RDM Competence Centre
RDM Network @ KU Leuven
Strategic/Policy Operation / Support
RDM Policy initiatives
International (e.g. LERU, EOSC)
National (e.g. FOSB, VlIR)
KU Leuven context:
Open Science Task Force
RDM steering group
WG Policy
WG Infrastructure
WG Advice-training
RDM
Competence
Centre
(RDM-CC)
RDM Support Staff
Central & Embedded
Departement
Faculty
Libraries
Local services (e.g., IT)
Central Services
RDM Network KU Leuven Libraries
RESEARCHERS
RDM Support Desk

6. RDM Competence Centre
• ° June 2020
• Virtual partnership between central services
• Mission:
• Support high quality research by enabling researchers and support staff to implement high quality research data
management practices
• Guide and deliver structured RDM information, training, tools, workflows and services, based on a deep
understanding of research practices and RDM needs of our researchers
• Connect, collaborate with and strengthen the robust network of RDM support people through sharing knowledge
and expertise
• Vision:
• To be a centre of excellence connecting local and central support services that drives sustainable, efficient and
bespoke RDM solutions for the university’s world-leading research
• To be a force in the further development of the Flemish, Belgian and European RDM ecosystem
www.kuleuven.be/rdm/en/RDM-CC
RDM Competence Centre (RDM-CC)

7. RDM-CC
KU Leuven
Libraries
Library Services
KU Leuven
Libraries
LIBIS
Research
Coordination
Office
(DOC)
ICTS
RDM
CC
Nathalie Claes
Coordination
Training, Advice and Knowledge Management
Ingrid Barcena Roig
Infrastructure and technical tools
Veerle Van den Eynden
RDM advice to Researchers
Funder/legal/journal compliance
Rachel Geenens
Post-publication data and data repository
LIBIS
Ricardo Nieuwkamp
Coordination support
Association KU Leuven KU Leuven
Libraries
Library Services
Support Association

8. Feedback
for researcher
RDM Network
RDM Support
Desk
• Primary point of contact
• One-stop-helpdesk: rdm@kuleuven.be
RDM Support Desk
Researcher
with question
Empowerment
researcher
Ninotsjka Callens
RDM Competence Centre

9. • Discipline-specific advice
• Data types
• Metadata / documentation
• Storage post-publication
• Support, e.g. write / review DMP
• Capture needs of researchers
• Training
RDM Competence Centre
RDM support network
Thomas
Vandendriessche
2Bergen
Krizia Tuand
2Bergen
Biomedical
Sciences
Eline
Vancoppenolle
2Bergen
Biomedical
Sciences
Marc Verbrugge
2Bergen Science,
Technology &
Engineering
Sylvette
Vanderstraeten
2Bergen Science,
Technology &
Engineering
Anouk D’Hont
2Bergen Science,
Technology &
Engineering
Nele Noppe
Artes Humanities
Jan Vervelk
Economics,
Business, Social
Sciences
Marleen
Marynissen
2Bergen
Campuses
Özgün Ünver
Humanities and
Social Sciences
Willeke De Haan
Research
Coordination
Office

10. • Review of data management plans
• Interactive discussions during RDM training events
• Roadshow with various research groups ► action points
• Present tools in development
• Plan data register
• Training needs
• Understand RDM needs
• Helpdesk requests
• Ad hoc chats about research and data
RDM Competence Centre
Understand research practices and RDM needs

11. • Networking / community building
• Netwoking workshop Nov 2020: report and
action points for information, advice,
training, tools
• RDM network community mailing lists
• ‘Joined-up’ training by RDM-CC, DOC, data
stewards and RDM network
• RDM for PhD
• DMP writing
• Roadshow 20 research groups
• Tools development: iRods, RDR, Data registry
• 400+ DMP reviews FWO, Internal, H2020
• Jointly by DOC, RDM network, local
support
• Constructive, practical feedback
• Insight in data @ KU Leuven, RDM
practices and needs, e.g. preservation
storage
• DMP monitoring tool development
• Enhance RDM website: www.kuleuven.be/rdm
• Funder RDM expectations: FWO,
BELSPO, EC, KUL
• Input via roadshow
• New structure in development
RDM Competence Centre
Realisations 2020-2021

12. RDM Competence Centre
RDM website

13. RDM-CC roadshow: RDM needs & challenges
• Reduction of “administration burden” in time and cost
• Need for automatization + interoperability between systems and tools
• Questions about cost (and cost reduction), e.g. storage costs
• Facilitation of collaborative projects between institutions
• Legal and ethical aspects remain complex specially related with data sharing
• Request for more specialized RDM support: data managers and (technical) data
engineers
“one size fits all” vs. “we want something that fits for us” 🡪 “clever combination of central
systems and customized options”

14. RDM-CC roadshow action points
• Work on a better integration between existing and new tools
• DMP database with examples
• Future of DMPonline -> actionable DMPs and integration with data register
• Streamline procedures data sharing, ethics, consent, GDPR, also KUL-UZ
• Generate / export metadata from instruments / tools
• RDM audits for research groups
• Rent-a-data-manager scheme + project funded data managers
• RDM website: clear information, decision trees, flowcharts, step by step guidance
• Training: add short, modular topical sessions, training-on-demand for research groups,
train-the-trainer for support staff, lab technicians, etc.
• r

15. Tools
Tools
Tools
Tools Tools
Data archiving
Data publishing
Research proposal Data collection Data processing
END of
project
Collaborators?
Research
idea
Reuse of data
START of
project
Funding
Ethics
Privacy
IP rights
Data management plan
DMPOnline
PRET Tool
DMP-review tool
New DMP-tool
Data register
Storage
Back-up
Data Management:
• formats and datatypes
• Metadata
• Documentation
• File organization
GitLab KU Leuven
Storage solutions
ELN
Qualtrics
iRODS –
Active data Repository
Data anonymization
Data encryption
Data analysis
Document processing
GitLab KU Leuven
Scientific software
HPC
iRODS –
Active data Repository
Data selection
Deposit data
Link with article
Licensing
Data sharing
Data selection
Long term preservation
GitLab KU Leuven
Omeka
RDR repository
GitLab KU Leuven
Teneo
RDR repository
Data services now and planned
documentation
implemented
under construction
to be planned
RDM Competence Centre

16. RDM Competence Centre
Active data repository iRods
Rule
Engine
DAVRods
Clients
iRODS
server
s
iCommands
Metadata
Python Client
Users
Storage
Hardware
Different clients to different types of users:
• CLI -> advanced users
• Python -> integration with other tools
• GUI -> user friendly
What can you do?
• Add Metadata: file and directory level
• Automate data management and data analysis
• Search and discovery data
• Share data
• Publish some data in the RDR repository
• Store your data in a centralized storage
• Protect your data

17. • Pilots starting in October 2021
• 16 potential pilot users identified (intake interviews still ongoing)
• 3 discarded because use case was not fitting
• 9 confirmed as good candidates (5 Biomed and 4 W&T)
• Open to all KU Leuven researchers
• Folders assigned by project/group with a defined manager (e.g. PI)
• Base quota per group:
• Default for all groups (e.g. 1TB)
• Or default per user and project quota calculated for number of users (e.g. 200 GB/user x 10 user = 2TB)
• Cost model still in development; options:
• Full cost: researchers pay for the storage with project/group funding
• Free: storage payed by KU Leuven. Researchers get it for free
• Mixed: base capacity (e.g: 2TB) free + researchers pay exces with project/group funding
Active data repository – organization
RDM Competence Centre

18. • Archive data at end of research
• Share data according to FAIR
principles
• Metadata
• Doi
• Discover via FRIS
• Publish data (openly)
• Link data to publications
• Built on Dataverse
RDM Competence Centre
Research Data Repository RDR (radar)
https://www.kuleuven.be/rdm/en/rdr

19. • Complex RDM needs, esp. BMS & STE
• Funding expert RDM support in projects, eg Horizon Europe
• Researchers not (yet) engaged in RDM and Open Science expectations for
Horizon Europe
• Frustrations over dispersed tools / procedures
• Communication between RDM players
RDM Competence Centre
RDM Challenges