4TU.ResearchData achievements during 2022

Authors: Maribel Barrera, Zita Bernhoeft, Arie Braat, Ashley Cryan, Egbert Gramsbergen, Kees den Heijer, Cecile van Heukelom, Jan van der Heul, Roel Janssen, Paula Martinez Lavanchy, Nida van Leersum, Iulia Popescu, Jacquelijn Ringersma, Eric Rumondor, Curtis Sharma, Madeleine de Smaele, Maaike Smit, Alessandra Soro, Marta Teperek, Carlos Utrilla Guerrero, Yan Wang, Aleksandra Wilczynska

When involved in lots of projects and activities, it becomes sometimes a bit difficult to focus on the broader picture and to see progress. That’s why it is useful to use the year change transition to look back at the past year and reflect on what has been accomplished. Then one can really see and appreciate the amount of progress made.

Here is what we did in a nutshell @4TU.ResearchData! We chose to focus only on new projects and endeavours (thus in addition to business as-usual activities and running existing services). It seems that we have accomplished quite a lot!

Repository Software

• Development of Djehuty, an open source repository software 
• A code quality assessment has been performed by TIOBE with the result that the software code quality of the 4TU.ResearchData system is good (score B).
• Convincing the board of 4TU.ResearchData that investment in open source software is the future
• Securing three separate grants from SURF to support technical developments: shared upload portal, shared search portal and bringing computation to the repository
• Lookout for 2023:
  • Implementation of Djehuty as a replacement for figshare (and discontinuation of the contract with figshare)
  • Appointment of a Data Solutions Engineer to work with the community to stimulate their contributions
  • Closer collaboration with DANS and SURF (on the shared upload and search portals) and with the University of Twente (bringing computation to the repository)

People responsible for this work:

• Technical team: Roel Janssen (vision and largest contribution to Djehuty’s code), Madeleine de Smaele (connection of policy, technical development and operations of the repository), Egbert Gramsbergen (development of the data model, contribution to Djehuty’s code), Kees den Heijer (coordination work, contribution to Djehuty’s code)
• Community contribution to the development of Djehuty: Arie Braat, Frederique Belliard, Serkan Girgin… and more!

Community development

• Organisation of the first FAIR for Science and Engineering – community meetup – event on the 7th of December 2022
• Involving the community in the development of the 4TU.ResearchData technical infrastructure
• Launching the FAIR Data Fund Autumn call 2022, with 5 winners who will finalize the FAIRification of their data and present them to the community 
• Re-design the working groups: during the community event, the community selected new topics for the Working Groups, the groups also welcomed new community members
• Lookout for 2023:
  • Organising 4TU.ResearchData roadshows at partner institutions
  • Training academy – in collaboration with the Thematic Digital Competence Centre for Natural and Engineering Sciences (TDCC NES)
  • Improving the FAIR Data Fund

People responsible for this work:

• Community managers: Alessandra Soro (4TU.ResearchData Community Manager) and Connie Clare (ex-4TU.ResearchData Community Manager)
• Event organisation: Maaike Smit
• Communication and promotion: Iulia Popescu
• Over and above contribution to the community activities: Zafer Ozturk, Yan Wang, Nicolas Dintzner, Santosh Ilamparuthi, Shauna Ni Fhlaithearta, Joost Albers, Mitchell van Zuijlen, Giordano Lipari, Serkan Girgin, Frederique Belliard, Tanya Yankelevich

Communication

• Refreshing our newsletters and social media channels
• Promoting beautiful stories and achievements of 4TU.ResearchData and its partners
• Participating in the organisation of the FAIR DATA Day 2022
• Lookout for 2023:
  • Restructuring the website
  • Announcement of the new repository solution and new guidance on the website
  • Strategic communication around the 4TU.ResearchData Strategy for 2024-2027

People responsible for this work:

• 4TU.ResearchData Communications Advisor: Iulia Popescu, and Deirdre Casella (ex-4TU.ResearchData Communications Advisor); web editors: Cecile van Heukelom  and Anna Estland (ex-Web Editor)
• Continuous support and collaboration with the TU Delft Library Communications team: Lynette Croxford and Emilie Yane-Lopez. 

Research Data Netherlands (RDNL)

• Co-organisation of the FAIR Data Day and 4TU.ResearchData’s dataset winning the Dutch Data Prize
• Investigating an alternative platform to host RDNL courses
• Lookout for 2023:
  • Launching the GDPR4DataSupport course
  • Migration of courses to a new platform
  • Refreshing the RDNL website

People responsible for this work:

• Colleagues from 4TU.ResearchData who led these efforts: Zita Bernhoeft (overseeing all the activities and the secretary to the RDNL Steering Committee), Carlos Utrilla Guerrero (coach and chair of the training working group), Eirini Zormpa (ex-coach and chair of the training working group), Iulia Popescu (4TU.ResearchData Communications Advisor and chair of the communications working group), Deirdre Casella (ex-4TU.ResearchData Communications Advisor and chair of the communications working group), Maribel Barrera (Education expert, who investigated platforms to run courses and migrated content), 
• Jan van der Heul and Eric Rumondor who curated all our datasets (without them we wouldn’t have won the prize)
• Jan van der Heul, Alessandra Soro, Madeleine de Smaele who helped with the nominations for the Dutch Data Prize
• Iulia Popescu, Zita Bernhoeft, Maribel Barrera, Maaike Smit and Jan van der Heul who helped with the organisation of the FAIR Data Day
• Kees den Heijer who has overseen the technical aspects of RDNL websites and emails 
• Colleagues from RDNL partner institutions:
  • Marjan Grootveld, Samantha Willemsen, Ingrid Korver, Cees Hof, Emilie Kraaikamp, Kim Ferguson, Maaike Verburg (DANS)
  • Celia van Gelder, Ruben Kok, Kimberley Zwiers, Mascha Janssen, Miriam Beusink, Fieke Schoots (DTL)
  • Mark Cole, Maurice Bouwhuis, Maithili Kalamkar, Ander Astudillo, Jorik van Kemenade, Sanne Koenen (SURF)

Skills4EOSC

• We got the grant and we kicked off the Skills4EOSC project 
• We appointed two wonderful colleagues who are leading the work: Curtis Sharma and Nida van Leersum
• Lookout for 2023:
  • Doing the exciting work as beautifully described in a post by Iulia
  • The appointment of Saba Sharma, as another Skills4EOSC Training Coordinator (who will together with Nida)

People responsible for this work:

• Curtis Sharma, the Skills4EOSC Community Manager and leader of the WP6, Nida van Leersum, the Skills4EOSC Training Coordinator, Paula Martinez Lavanchy, who help coordinate training contribution of TU Delft/4TU.ResearchData before Nida started
• Daniel van Nordenne, who helps administer the financial aspects of the project
• Rianne van den Bogerd, who advised on the legal aspects of the agreements
• Colleagues who helped write the grant: Paula Martinez Lavanchy, Connie Clare, Emmy Tsang and Alastair Dunning
• Iulia Popescu, who prepared press releases about the project and led social media communication

Thematic Digital Competence Centre for Natural and Engineering Sciences (TDCC NES)

• 4TU.ResearchData became the host of the TDCC NES (as nicely explained in a press release written by Iulia Popescu)
• The grant for the appointment of personnel for the TDCC NES has been awarded! 
• Jacquelijn Ringersma has been appointed as the Interim Network Manager and brought the community together, initiated several bottleneck projects and started governance discussions
• Zita Bernhoeft has been appointed to provide project support for the TDCC NES starting January 2023
• Lookout for 2023:
  • Forming the TDCC NES consortium
  • Funding and starting the bottleneck projects and developing a new programme for future funding
  • The appointment of Mira Stanic as Community Coordinator and the appointment of the Network Manager

People responsible for this work:

• Jacquelijn Ringersma who has spearheaded all these activities and made everyone truly enthusiastic about the TDCC NES
• Yan and the team of Data Stewards as well as Julie with the DCC team were there the first listening ear and feedback to help to shape the ideas of the TDCC. 
• Alessandra provides continuous and inspiring initiatives and feedback to the community building and training initiatives that the TDCC NES takes. 
• Marta is a great inspiration, has lots of information and contact, and really helps Jacquelijn out when needed.