Research Data Management

The current strategy document is informed by the work of the RDM Committee since forming in 2021, including extensive baseline data gathering and community consultation. This strategy is considered a living document, and adjustments will be made periodically, based on feedback and policy updates as needed to reflect the rapidly changing landscape of RDM in Canada. In order to continue this work, the intention is to confer the current RDM Committee to an RDM Steering Committee for the next 5 years that will serve to achieve the goals articulated here. 

Following a model developed by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada, the committee completed a multi-phase data gathering process, including an inventory of institutional data assets and data management practices on campus, existing RDM support services and research data storage and research computing infrastructure overall as well as collecting the institution’s existing policies, procedures and best practices that relate to RDM.

As an additional means of assessing our RDM readiness, a scoring rubric referred to as the Maturity Assessment Model in Canada (MAMIC) was employed to evaluate the University’s maturity level on a scale of 0 (does not exist) to 4 (operationalized, launched and robust). The MAMIC was applied to 25 RDM elements in 4 broad categories including: Institutional Policies and Procedures, IT Infrastructure, Service and Support and Financial Support.

Community consultation occurred via survey and subsequent focus groups July – Sept 2022. The RDM survey was sent to current University of Manitoba researchers, and collected details on current researcher practices in the areas of data storage, data types being collected, opinions on desired RDM services and barriers and challenges in this area. Focus group participants volunteered through the survey for one of three conversations; Indigenous Data Sovereignty, Health research and a general RDM conversation. Further qualitative data was collected through this process as well as filling in some missing perspectives from the RDM Committee membership. 

Together, the preparation documents and consultation materials formed the basis of understanding of the current RDM resources and services at the University of Manitoba.

The University of Manitoba is committed to the use of RDM standards and best practices. As articulated by the Tri-Agency, research data management supports research excellence “by ensuring that research is performed ethically and makes good use of public funds, experiments and studies are replicable, and research results are as accessible as possible. Research data management (RDM) is a necessary part of research excellence.”

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility: The RDM Committee acknowledges that new administrative requirements may place an unequal burden on diverse members of the research community who are often asked to carry out additional service to the University community. The Committee also recognizes the University's responsibility to ensure that RDM practices are visible, accessible, efficient and equitable for all researchers. As guided by the University’s EDI Report and Recommendations, the Vice-Provost (Equity), and other EDIA advisors/directors, the University is committed to promoting awareness and understanding of EDIA and to advancing these principles within University’s mission of teaching and learning, research and scholarship, and service.

The University of Manitoba acknowledges its commitment to supporting its research community through implementing sound RDM practices and providing the technologies and services necessary to help researchers incorporate RDM into their work.

The University of Manitoba encourages collaboration across all of its units supporting RDM. The University acknowledges the importance of partnership in research and extends this spirit of collaboration to RDM best practices within its own institution as well as with those institutions,  organizations and communities with whom the University engages in the broader research enterprise. 

The University of Manitoba acknowledges the complexity of incorporating RDM practices across differing research disciplines and methodologies as well as differing ethical, legal and regulatory frameworks. The University furthermore acknowledges and values the diversity of its researchers and their academic disciplines. The University is committed to providing the appropriate RDM support that is required for all research environments while at the same time maintaining a consistent standard of support throughout.

There is a need for more widespread awareness of RDM services. The University will continue the RDM Steering Committee for the next 5 years, including working groups or projects as needed. In particular, the University will undertake work to co-develop a policy with First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples on Indigenous data sovereignty. The University will launch a transparent and regularly updated website connected to the Office of the Vice-President (Research and International) (VPRIO), housing the University Institutional Strategy and work that comes from the strategy over the next 5 years. 

The University of Manitoba has three primary units that support RDM: Libraries, Information Services & Tecnology (IST) and the Office of Research Services (ORS). These support services cover areas such as data management planning, data repositories, RDM guidance and training, as well as consultation on how to meet the RDM requirements of grant funders. 

The University will establish a working group with senior-level ORS, IST and Libraries personnel that will report to the RDM Steering Committee in order to assess RDM supports and service levels across all areas and develop a shared plan for future endeavors.

The administrative overhead for researchers is already substantial and RDM requirements only promises to increase the amount of work that must be completed before projects get underway. 

A working group comprised of the Office of Research Services, Office of Legal Counsel, Research Ethics Board(s), Information Services & Technology, Access and Privacy Office and Libraries will be established and report to the RDM Steering Committee.This working group will work collaboratively to review University policies and procedures related to RDM with the goal of minimizing duplication or contradictory guidance.

Several challenges related to recognizing Indigenous research methodologies and data governance, including provisions for data ownership, research authorship and data sharing, were raised through the consultation phase of this strategy. Addressing these challenges will take time and requires more input from Indigenous members  within the University. 

The University will establish conversations with stakeholders within the institution such as the Office of the Vice-President (Indigenous), National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, Ongomiizwin – Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing, and others to look at ways to better support Indigenous research methodologies and data sovereignty, including processes for addressing the repatriation of historical data and artifacts held by the University. The University endorses the Working in Good Ways framework as a core component of this strategy. 

Sensitive health research data created, stored and shared within the online University environment and beyond, navigating the inherent multi-institutional policies and procedures, as well as the ethical and legal concerns therein, all pose significant RDM challenges. 

The University will establish an RDM working group that will focus on health research related issues within the University but also with Shared Health and Research Manitoba among other stakeholders in Manitoba. This group will also investigate ways to streamline internal procedures related to health research and RDM.

CIHR
Canadian Institutes of Health Research

DMP
Data Management Plan

EDI
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

IST
Information Services and Technology, University of Manitoba

NSERC
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council

ORS
Office of Research Services, University of Manitoba

RDM
Research Data Management

REB
Research Ethics Board(s), University of Manitoba

SSHRC
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

VPRI(O)
Office of the Vice-President (Research and International), University of Manitoba

Research data
All primary data that are used to support and validate research outcomes (publications, technical reports, policy, etc.).

Research data management
Those processes involved in the management, preservation and access of data used in a research project. Data management encompasses all actions taken upon data throughout the research lifecycle from data collection to data publication. Specifics actions of data management included, but are not reserved to file naming, version control, dataset access/restrictions, file format migration, metadata authoring, data integrity validation, and data deposit.

Sensitive data
Data is information, observations, measurements or some other form of documentation about a place, person, event, animal or phenomenon. It may be digital or non-digital. Sensitive data is Information that may be regulated by law due to possible risk for plants, animals, individuals and/or communities and for public and private organizations. Sensitive personal data as a specific subset of sensitive data include information related to racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership and data concerning the health or sex life of an identifiable (or potentially identifiable) individual. All sensitive data are data that could potentially cause harm through their disclosure.

Additional definitions