New resources for sustainable RDM services
A suite of new and enhanced resources to support Research Data Management (RDM) services is now available, and the ELIXIR-UK community has been involved in their development.
These resources are the result of ELIXIR’s first internally funded project for its RDM Community at the European level. Several ELIXIR-UK members led tasks throughout the project, with the RDM Community currently co-led by UK member Munazah Andrabi.
Good RDM is at the heart of the FAIR principles – making data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable – and underpins open science more broadly. These resources, developed by RDM experts from across ELIXIR Nodes, grow ELIXIR’s distributed knowledge, training and services.
Enhancements to tools you already use
Key updates have been made to resources already familiar to the ELIXIR-UK community:
- RDMkit – community-maintained guidance for life sciences RDM was expanded and refreshed.
- FAIR Cookbook – new and updated practical recipes to support FAIR data implementation.
- TeSS – a new Data Management for Researchers learning path was added, co-developed with the ELIXIR Learning Paths focus group and Training Platform, with a Data Stewardship learning path also in the works, led by UK member, Alexia Cardona.
A new handbook for RDM professionals
One of the most significant outputs is the Data Stewardship Handbook – aimed at those delivering institutional RDM services, rather than the researchers using them. UK member Xenia Perez Sitja has been involved in the development of this handbook, with guidance pages and real-world community case studies that complement the operational focus of the RDMkit.
The handbook also includes an RDM Services Maturity Model – a shared framework to help ELIXIR Nodes and other institutions assess their current state and identify practical next steps across four domains: strategy and sustainability, legal and governance, RDM support, and data and metadata management.
Clearer pathways for data deposition
New recommendations address how data stewards support researchers in depositing data to ELIXIR Deposition Databases, proposing clearer recognition of brokering roles, improved authentication, better cross-repository linking and more machine-actionable repository requirements.
A stronger, more connected community
Alongside these resources, a community framework and onboarding materials have been developed to help sustain and grow the ELIXIR RDM Community. The collective effort marks a shift away from isolated, ad hoc data management towards more standardised practices – meaning less data sitting on hard drives and more available to be found, understood and reused with confidence.
Find out more
Overview of ELIXIR services for management of research outputs
End report on body of knowledge
End report on FAIR training resources
End report on published learning paths in TeSS
First versions (MVP) of the knowledge handbook and the maturity model for RDM service providers
Requirements for data brokering system
Notes to editors
About ELIXIR-UK
ELIXIR-UK is part of the European ELIXIR infrastructure, which supports life science research and its translation to medicine, the environment, and society. By integrating national bioinformatics resources, ELIXIR-UK aims to provide a sustainable infrastructure for biological information, ensuring that data is effectively managed, analysed and shared across the scientific community.
For further details, reach out to us at contact@elixiruknode.org
