Digital Competence Center (DCC)

In accordance with the UMCG Research Code, a DMP is drawn up for each new research project and approved by the principal investigator. The official UMCG DMP template has been approved by the NWO and ZonMw, ensuring that UMCG research projects adhere to the research data management requirements of these funding agencies. A Research Data Management Awareness e-learning module is available to all UMCG researchers and staff, and is mandatory for GSMS PhD candidates. Additionally, it is mandatory for all researchers working with human subject data to complete a Privacy in Research (GDPR/AVG) e-learning module provided by the Privacy Working Organisation (PWO).

• More information about the UMCG Research Code
• Download UMCG Data Management Plan Template (versie 6)
   

These workshops created an interactive environment where participants could present their draft DMPs and receive feedback from both experts and peers. This setup fostered a valuable exchange of knowledge and best practices, enabling participants to refine and improve their plans. The positive feedback from participants confirmed the effectiveness of this approach and highlighted the importance of such workshops for the research community.

The workshops better prepared researchers to submit their DMPs, contributing to the overall quality of data management within the UMCG. This initiative has significantly impacted the support for researchers and the promotion of exemplary data management practices.

An effective Data Management Plan will help you in making your data FAIR. It will also serve as a blueprint for all data in the project, not only now, but also following completion of the study. The better the plan, the more likely it will be that your research will run smoothly (through good organization, storage, coding, clear documentation, etc.) and the higher the impact your data can have (e.g., for (re-)use, collaborations, citations) in the future.

The FAIR Principles are the standard for good research data management and a pillar for practicing Open Science. FAIR stands for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. FAIR data does not equal to open data. The FAIR principles should help make the data ‘as open as possible and as closed as necessary’, as there can be reasons to restrict access to your data. The implementation of FAIR data principles can be challenging, next to the management of the increasing volumes and complexity of research data, the compliance with new or updated legislation and policies, and fulfilling the requirements of funders and publishers. We work together with UMCG departments to create department-specific tailored solutions to become FAIRer.

This new e-learning module (This e-learning replaces the RDM Awareness workshops) is applicable for all research within the life sciences. It is freely available to all interested parties who perform research activities within the UMCG and is mandatory for PhD-students of the Graduate School of Medical Sciences (GSMS) at the starting phase of their research.

The E-learning module on Privacy in Research-GDPR/AVG has been effective. This course focuses on raising awareness among researchers about the regulations surrounding data protection and privacy in research, and their application within the UMCG research environment. Tthat there is interest and need for knowledge about the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and how to apply it in research projects.
By following this training, participants have not only gained insight into the legal requirements, but also into the practical steps that are needed to ensure the privacy of research participants. This also increases quality and integrity of scientific research.

We have a training program for those wishing to become an Embedded Data Steward (EDS) in their UMCG department. An Embedded Data Steward assists with the management of research data within their department. Depending on departmental decisions, the tasks could involve:

• Helping establish good research data management practices and guide researchers to adhere to the GDPR and UMCG policies;
• Provide Data Management Plans (DMPs) consultations;
• Establishing and carrying out record management procedures.

Each department can decide how the function will be fulfilled and how many FTEs will be allocated to it.
No prior training in research data management is necessary, but the trainee is preferably someone with an intention to stay at the department for the long term and has an affiliation for working with research data at some level (e.g., research coordinators, data managers, etc.) The training should be completed in approximately three months and is composed mainly of self-study and support if needed.

In addition to the Research Data Management Awareness e-learning module and the Draft DMP Review workshop, we also offer tailored presentations on FAIR data management upon request, workshops on specific topics of interest, and personalized consultations to address individual needs.

Topics for tailored presentations and/or workshops:

• FAIR Data management
• Data Management Plan (DMP)
• Data sharing & transferring
• Data storing & archiving
• Metadata & Data documentation
• Qualitative data
• FAIR ‘n Square
• LEGO® Metadata for Reproducibility