Research Data Management in Austria – A manageable task for Austrian research institutions?

Abstract

See video of the presentation.

At the start of 2015, scientific and artistic-scientific personnel of all 21 universities and three non-university research institutions in Austria were given the call to participate in an Austria-wide survey focusing on research data. The survey was conducted within the framework of the e-Infrastructures Austria (www.e-infrastructures.at) project funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economics (BMWFW) and facilitates the evaluation of the actual, practical handling of digital data.

The participants were asked about the following topics: data types and formats, data archiving, backup and loss, ethical and legal aspects, accessibility and reuse as well as infrastructure and services. The findings form the basis for a consecutive optimization of the e-infrastructure and services available in this area in accordance with the needs they have expressed.

Solid research data management is the foundation for cooperative, open research and thus for their comprehensibility and verifiability. The issue is equally relevant and up-to-date for researchers, funding bodies and senior posts of scientific institutions, which is currently being demonstrated by the pilot for research data from the European Commission.

The lecture provides insight into the planning, implementation and evaluation of this ambitious undertaking and presents the main results that will have an impact at national level. For the first time, the status quo of domestic data management is being presented in a manner that represents all disciplines. Organizational, structural and strategic measures for the development of e-infrastructures for individual institutions can then be derived using this data. In addition, it is possible through the co-ordinated, Austria-wide approach to identify common areas of responsibility and to establish central services.