Research Funders and Stakeholders on Open Research and Data Management Policies and Practices IG Charter

Name of Proposed Interest Group: Research Funders and Stakeholders on Open Research and Data Management Policies and Practices

Introduction (A brief articulation of what issues the IG will address, how this IG is aligned with the RDA mission, and how this IG would be a value-added contribution to the RDA community):

Research funders have been participating in the RDA since the beginning, first through the Funders’ Forum, and then they began to propose Bird of a Feathers sessions in which funders from around the globe bring subjects that they wish to discuss publicly among themselves and on which they want to gather input from the RDA community. The aim of the proposed Interest Group is to provide a sustainable venue for these discussions. Funders are important RDA stakeholders, and the IG would substantiate their engagement with RDA and be fully aligned with the RDA principles of openness, harmonization and being community-driven. It would be a significant value-added contribution to the RDA community as a vehicle for open discussion of policy-driven topics.

User scenario(s) or use case(s) the IG wishes to address (what triggered the desire for this IG in the first place):

There are currently few forums for research funders engaged in the open research and data management space to discuss their unique challenges, perspectives and opportunities. Creating a forum for research funders to initiate or further data-related discussions could result in lasting benefits for the research community (increased coordination, standardization and support) and the funders themselves in terms of avoiding duplication of efforts and building on existing expertise and resources.

Open research means making research outputs – including datasets, publications and code – widely and rapidly available. To realize the potential benefits of open research, research funders are implementing new open research policies, adopting new technologies and tools, and developing training and partnered initiatives. Although there is a lot of variation in approach, there are a number of commonalities, including a focus on data management plans, peer review support, working with institutions, and data requirements built into funding opportunities and initiatives.

These questions were addressed during a BoF session, “Research Funders on the Topic of Open Research and Data Management” (https://www.rd-alliance.org/research-funders-topic-open-research-and-data-management-rda-10th-plenary-bof-meeting) at P10, and during two BoF sessions held in Berlin “Interest Group for Funders and Stakeholders on Open Research and Data Management Policies” (https://rd-alliance.org/funders-and-stakeholders-open-research-and-data-management-policies-rda-11th-plenary-bof-meeting). These sessions are the precursors of the proposed Interest Group. The second session at P12 was devoted to discuss the Interest Group planning. This IG proposal results from these preliminary discussions.

Objectives (A specific set of focus areas for discussion, including use cases that pointed to the need for the IG in the first place.   Articulate how this group is different from other current activities inside or outside of RDA.):

The IG will provide a forum for research funders to update each other on their open research and data management policy development, and to foster discussion among research funders and other stakeholders on trends, challenges and opportunities related to developing, implementing and responding to open research and data management policies (such as best practices with respect to adjudicating DMPs, monitoring and compliance of policies, etc.). It can also be used for discussing policy alignments. It will initiate Working Group proposals when relevant.

Participation (Address which communities will be involved, what skills or knowledge should they have, and how will you engage these communities.  Also address how this group proposes to coordinate its activity with relevant related groups):

The primary participants are research funders, but the IG aim is to be open to any member of the RDA community interested in being involved. The attendance of the Montreal and Berlin BoFs demonstrates the interest of the community for these discussions. They can guide the activities of other RDA Groups by providing a policy framework.

Outcomes(Discuss what the IG intends to accomplish.  Include examples of WG topics or supporting IG-level outputs that might lead to WGs later on.

The IG will improve coordination between funders in domains relevant to the RDA. It will identify subjects of common interest as topics for discussion at each Plenary, and propose how to continue to foster the discussion among research funders at RDA (teleconferences between Plenaries, meetings et Plenaries, RDA Working Group) or other venues.  The IG would also provide an important venue for engaging publically with the broader data community, be they researchers, data professionals, publishers, etc.  Topics for particular meeting would be proposed by funding organizations (with input welcomed by others).

Mechanism (Describe how often your group will meet and how will you maintain momentum between Plenaries.

The role of the chairs would be to collect proposals for discussion topics, obtain the members approval prior, and organize presentations and discussions prior to each meeting.  The chairs would also work with the broader funding community to help coordinate any activities that may require the creation of a formal working group.  The chairs would report on plans and activities at the Funders Forum and interact with other IG chairs as per usual RDA practices.  

Timeline (Describe draft milestones and goals for the first 12 months):

Topics currently being considered for a possible first meeting include:

• Working with data repositories
• Data management policy alignment
• Data sharing across international borders
• Data management monitoring and compliance
• Peer/merit review committee training
• Data management training for researchers and students
• Creating incentives for data management and data sharing
• Using persistent identifiers in funding systems

Members will vote on these topics (through a doddle poll in early January).   The interim co-chairs will organized the first meeting. 

Potential Group Members (Include proposed chairs/initial leadership and all members who have expressed interest):

Matthew Lucas (Social Sciences Research Council of Canada) and Josh Greenberg (Sloan Foundation,) the current co-chairs of the Funders Forum, will serve as the interim co-chairs of the proposed Interest Group pending the group’s proposed first meeting at the next RDA Plenary in Philadelphia.  At that time co-chairs representing geographic and gender diversity will be proposed. 

The list below represents the representative of funding organizations who participated in the 12^th RDA Plenary and whom agreed with the proposal to create a standing Funders Interest Group.   The fill list of Funders Forum participants (which vary from meeting to meeting) is considerably longer.