What is research Data management
For many years, Open Access is at universities agenda. Open Access aims, among other, to make research results more visible, and more accessible. Research projects, however, not only produce scientific papers, they also create unique datasets, which are hardly accessible or visible. This trend is increasingly leading to a data driven science: insert: https://doranum.fr/enjeux-benefices/data-driven-science/, which concerns many actors insert: https://doranum.fr/enjeux-benefices/acteurs-gestion-donnees-recherche/.
Moreover, research data rise questions at every step of a research project, and need to be handle and preserve carefully. To take these challenges into account, Research Data Management (RDM) has recently increased as a topic of major importance in research environment: insert: https://www.scienceeurope.org/our-priorities/research-data .
RDM has many advantages, that are presented here:[page2] /insert: https://dial.uclouvain.be/RDM/node/12, but also faces many challenges, as described here insert: https://doranum.fr/enjeux-benefices/fiche-synthetique/
Moreover, Research Data Management planning is getting more and more required by funders. RDM best practices (such as data sharing, or guarantee about data quality, and compliance with ethical aspects) also get more and more required by scientific journals.
FAIR vs Open data
Research data Management doesn’t mean Open Data. Research data community is rather interested in making data FAIR: Findable (easily on the web, using data repositories), Accessible (with unique identifiers, such as DOI), Interoperable (requiring software or technique easily accessible to other researchers, such as Open softwares), and Reusable (by others with proper documentation) insert: https://doranum.fr/enjeux-benefices/principes-fair/
If you want to make your data fair, look at this checklist: insert: https://www.openaire.eu/how-to-make-your-data-fair
What about Belgium?
Belgium’s engagement in Open science and fair data is summarized on the EOSC portal webpage: insert: https://eosc-portal.eu/belgium.
About this website
In order to assist researchers throughout their everyday work, Bicfb has developed this website that contains a large body of best practices, advices and resources regarding data management at every step of a research project.