Data management

The introduction will provide a framework for the course and present the key concepts relevant to managing data and data policy within RIs, including definitions of data and typologies of RIs, the role of metadata, and operational considerations for managers.

After completing this Session, the participant will be able to: 

• understand the key issues and concepts around the management of data and data policy within an operational RI; 
• situate his or her own RI within a typology of research infrastructures, and appreciate how this influences the treatment of data management and policy;
• determine how different drivers affect how data management and data policy are implemented in an RI; and
• assess the different relevant factors in play when implementing data management and policy in real-time settings, such as resources, technologies, and staff competencies.

This Session will cover the role of data policy and data management in RIs, including how data policy for different data management domains should be crafted and formulated for different audiences and purposes, and aligned with internal and external drivers and implemented in RI workflows. It will also address how policy can be converted into practical guidelines for different user groups.

After completing this Session, the participant will be able to:

• identify and develop relevant data management policies for research infrastructure throughout the data lifecycle;
• define appropriate workflows, roles, and responsibilities among research infrastructure staff for data management and policy implementation;
• understand, catalogue, and manage different types of data (datasets, software, workflows, etc.) handled and generated in the research infrastructure and by its users;
• decide what is needed to make data and metadata accessible for long-term preservation;
• understand data sharing and access (open data vs closed data) and restrictions/control in an Open Science context; and
• assess certification mechanisms available for data management in different research infrastructures/scientific communities and determine whether they are needed for the research infrastructure.

This Session focuses on deepening the participants’ understanding of the FAIR principles and empowering them to adapt and extend the principles of findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability in their RI. By the end of this Session, the participants will be able to set up the guidelines for FAIRness in their Research Infrastructure, and plan the development and/or integration of the protocols, techniques and tools required to achieve such FAIRness.

After completing this Session , the participants will be able to:

• understand the FAIR principles in general and the main concepts and vocabulary used;
• make data findable, understanding the most common metadata schemas and the importance of generating persistent identifiers;
• make data accessible, describing the different protocols to access data, both for humans and for machines;
• make data interoperable, using ontologies and other semantic artifacts;
• make data reusable, selecting the appropriate license and providing rich metadata to facilitate its reuse and provenance; and
• implement FAIR principles in the setting of a real research infrastructure.

Developing a reliable and specific data management plan is a core business of each research infrastructure. A data management plan ensures that the RI’s data will be adequately described and made available to a broader public. This enables a more thorough perspective for the re-use of data and the formulation of innovative data-centric research questions. This Session turns the theoretical knowledge of data management policies and plans into practice.

After completing this Session , the participant will be able to:

• understand the importance of dedicated data management plans for increased data quality of the research infrastructures’ main assets;
• support compliance with the research Infrastructure’s data management policies;
• contribute to knowledge exchange with regard to data management by the research infrastructure’s gateway function;
• increase the quality of service in their RI by improving the essential cornerstones of research data management plans; 

• develop an individual and personalised template for a data management plan for the participants’ research infrastructure; and 
• ensure improved quality of the draft template by expert-level feedback after assessment of the provided data management plan template.

The programme is aimed at managers, operators and other professionals at Research Infrastructures and Core Facilities willing to share their experience and upskill themselves.

The pilot programme is designed by academic and educational experts who gathered in the RItrainPlus project to share their long experience working or leading Research Infrastructures or other scientific institutions.

The programme is divided into seven short courses, each containing separate sessions. The short courses take up 16–32 hours each for the training sessions, plus individual work.

The participants can take up either the whole programme and progress from one short course to the next, or take an individual short course that best fits their needs. For those interested in taking up the whole programme, it should be noted that although the session activities will not be overlapping, time for individual work might be hardly enough. Participants are advised to check the course schedules for more information.

Once selected to be part of the program, the University of Milano-Bicocca will provide you with an official account to log into the e-learning platform. Through this email account, you will receive all official communications from the University and the final Certificate of Completion.

The Pilot courses are part of a development project which will be enriched by the Participants. Strong commitment to this concept is necessary. The participant is expected to participate in at least 75% of the scheduled activities. Participation in the programmed in-person activities is mandatory. The individual courses are assessed in different ways.

The participant needs to participate in all the sessions in the short course. Course’s thematic units are not opt-in modules.

The pilot courses are offered free of charge for the Participants. The Project is supported by the European Union’s H2020 programme under grant agreement no.101008503

The short courses are offered mostly as online courses that take up to 6 typically non-consecutive half-days. The courses are taught by experienced Academics and Executives at RItrainPlus partner universities and institutions with the contribution of invited international Experts. The courses will be delivered in the period October-November 2024.

All CPD courses will be formally delivered by the University of Milano-Bicocca. As such, you will be part of the academic community. According to Italian academic law, there are some compulsory tasks that must be performed:

1- The application period is from July 31, 2024, to September 9, 2024.

2- To provide the Faculty with a comprehensive view of all candidates, you must browse the course catalog and submit all required information through a specific form for each course you wish to participate in. This step is mandatory to enter the selection process, but it does not guarantee admission (please refer to point 4).

3- The selection of accepted candidates will be performed until September 17th, 2024.

4- All selected candidates are required to formally enroll on the ESSE3 platform here: https://s3w.si.unimib.it/Root.do. If a candidate does not complete the process on the ESSE3 portal, they cannot be admitted to the courses. The profiling process must be completed through this platform and cannot be handled by the administrative office, as it is a formal requirement for admission. All registrations must be completed by October 3rd. No grace period has been planned.

Selected participants are informed of the acceptance of their application by September 17th 2024.

If the participant wishes to cancel their participation, they are required to inform the organizers at least two weeks prior to the starting of the course