Article: “Addressing Gaps in Canadian Research Data Management: A Comprehensive Guide of the Portage Network”

Linked below is a new article by Steven N. Liss, Vice-President (Research and Innovation) at Ryerson University and Chair of the Portage Advisory Committee. The article was published by University Affairs.

From UniversityAffairs.ca:

In Canada, researchers and institutions face challenges stemming from a lack of comprehensive digital research infrastructure (DRI). Managing Big Data adds further infrastructure challenges. Research data management (RDM) is a key component of DRI – and providing researchers with tools and support to implement RDM best practices throughout the research lifecycle is essential to ensuring effective data collection, description, storage, discovery, and reuse.

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Launched in 2015 by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), the Portage Network contributes to the shared stewardship of research data and addresses specific gaps in national RDM infrastructure in Canada.
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Goals of the network

1. Foster a community of practice for RDM: A primary objective of Portage is to build a network of expertise for research data management. Critical aspects of this are to coordinate and expand on expertise and services within Canadian academic libraries and to build capacity in specific areas of research data management.

2. Facilitate and provide leadership in the development of RDM infrastructure: Portage seeks to advance the development of national platforms for planning, curating, preserving and discovering research data. This will require working with infrastructure providers, both in the library community and elsewhere, to develop new tools where gaps exist, and to bridge systems where interoperability is required.

3. Engage and advocate for RDM with stakeholder communities: The task of managing data from research across Canada requires community-wide involvement and collaboration. The two major components of the network build upon a thorough understanding of researchers’ needs and solid working relationships with funding agencies, data stewards, infrastructure providers, regional academic library consortia and international collaborators.

Read the Complete Article by Steven Liss (approx. 1140 words)
Learn More: Direct to Portage Website

• Direct to Portage Communities of Practice
• Direct to Portage Data Management FAQ

Filed under: Academic Libraries, Data Files, Funding, Libraries, Management and Leadership, News