Creating a Community of Data Champions

Abstract

Research Data Management (RDM) presents an unusual challenge for service providers in Higher Education. There is increased awareness of the need for training in this area but the nature of disciplinespecific practices involved make it difficult to provide training across a multi-disciplinary organisation. Whilst most UK universities now have a research data team of some description, they are often small and rarely have the resources necessary to provide targeted training to the different disciplines and research career stages that they are increasingly expected to support. This practice paper describes the approach taken at the University of Cambridge to address this problem by creating a community of Data Champions. This collaborative initiative, working with researchers to provide training and advocacy for good RDM practice, allows for more discipline-specific training to be given, researchers to be credited for their expertise and an opportunity for those interested in RDM to exchange knowledge with others. The 'community of practice' model has been used in many sectors, including Higher Education, to facilitate collaboration across organisational units and this initiative will adopt some of the same principles to improve communication across a decentralised institution. The Data Champions initiative at Cambridge was launched in September 2016 and this paper reports on the early months, plans for building the community in the future and the possible risks associated with this approach to providing RDM services.

Ten (not so) simple rules for clinical trial data-sharing

“…Lastly, in line with the Hong Kong Principles [24], institutions are invited to implement incentives that reward practices that promote reproducible science, e.g., data-sharing. Many universities, such as the University of Cambridge [25], have therefore developed "data champions programs" that acknowledge the value of good data management. This observation brings us directly to Rule 8.…”

Scientific impact and the quest for visibility

“…Conversely, without targeted education, many researchers are unlikely to recognise the benefits of engaging with and adopting new Open Science practices. To address this issue, the University of Cambridge recently created a community of Data Championsresearchers, PhD students or support staff who volunteer some of their time to advocate for good research data management and openness within their own departments [26]. I took part in this 'community of practice', which offered freedom in deciding how much time you spend on advocacy and how you want to engage with local peers.…”

Research 2.0 and Research Data Services in academic and research libraries: priority issues

“…Recognising that RDM needs to be a researcher-owned endeavour, the University of Cambridge made efforts to create a community of Data Champions that provides training and advocacy for good RDM practice among researchers. The majority of applicants to become members of this community of practice came from doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers, working in STEM fields (Higman et al, 2017).…”