Research data management refers to the handling of research data – organization, storage, preservation, and sharing of data collected and used in research projects, during and after a research activity.
As part of the progression towards open science, research granting agencies increasingly require compliance with open data management policies, including the development and maintenance of Data Management Plans (DMPs).
The purpose of this page is to provide the background for data management requirements and to compile information on all assistance resources available at the Technion.
What Constitutes Research Data?
Any information that is associated with research progression, findings, and results is called “Research Data”. It includes any type of file format and might contain statistical data, observations, audio, videos, images, procedures, questionnaires, numerical or descriptive information, or any other data.
How and why to manage your research data
In order to give the public free and easy access to research outcomes, many research funders now require clear open research data management as a condition for a grant. The Sherpa-Juliet database can help you locate Research Funders’ open access policies, including open research data, data management plans, etc. Open research data is data that is deposited by the authors in repositories and is freely accessible for the public to use and share.
The Technion research authority can help in assisting researchers to understand all the criteria of their grant conditions (contacts details in the table below).
Data management principles
A consortium of scientists developed FAIR (findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability) in a paper published by Nature publishing group in 2016. Its principles, adopted by academic institutions worldwide, are supporting the reusability of digital assets. There are many options to do so, including:
- Publish in open access
- Enriching any data asset with detailed metadata
- Apply each data with a unique identifier (DOI)
- Storing data in trusted repositories
- Clear using license attached to each asset
- Representation of the data in a way that humans and machines will be able to understand and use.
Data Management Plan (DMP) is a document that summarizes how data will be handled throughout a project ,and how it will be presented in the future. In the case of public funding, it is often the case that the document, in addition to the data, should be made public. Horizon Europe, for example, is supporting FAIR principles by demanding all grant proposals be accompanied by a short DMP document. This is followed by a comprehensive one when a project is selected for funding. https://enspire.science/data-management-plan-in-horizon-europe/
Funders generally do not limit grantees to writing their DMPs in a specific format, due to the differences between scientific disciplines. To include all aspects of data and plan your research better, it is recommended to use one of the following to generate your DMP:
- DMP Templates – You can find DMP templates on the funders’ homepages. For example, the ERC website – https://erc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/document/file/ERC-Data-Management-Plan.docx
- Using DMP Tools – DMP templates are very helpful, but they are fixed, while your data plan (and the data itself) might be subjected to changes throughout time. DMP Tools can help you get your DMP “live” and ready for changes. There are some DMP services you can use for free:
- ARGOS (free) – an OpenARIE platform for the management, validation, monitoring and maintenance of DMPs.
- DMPTool (free) – Accepted by hundreds of institutions worldwide, DMPTool is an effective online service to create and maintain your DMPs.
- Data Stewardship Wizard (free) – the DMP is built upon answering smart questionnaires. This tool can help make data as FAIR as possible by providing the user “FAIR metrics” information.
**Some tools offer extra features for institutions. The Technion does not currently have an institutional account on any data management platforms.
Research data can be diverse in size, format, and content. While sharing research data is very important, and sometimes even mandatory, it is forbidden to release sensitive data to the public as stated in your DMP. Sensitive data might include:
- Trade secrets
- Information that is protected by law
- Information related to our state security
- Confidential information until publication
- Personal information (such as ID numbers, etc.)
- Personal medical information
Any privacy-related issues, including clinical studies, GDPR, etc., please refer to the Data Protection Officer (DPO).
If you are handling sensitive data in your research, please see the Technion sensitive data regulation below:
Sensitive data protection
- Sensitive data should be protected in accordance with the Technion policy (in Hebrew).
- Sensitive data should be managed in SharePoint or Office 365.
- Data repositories should be used only for regular and non-sensitive data.
Contact the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) with any concerns regarding data protection (Procedures for backup and recovery; transfer of sensitive data and secure storage in repositories for long-term preservation and curation).
Many funders consider data as significant as the final publication itself. They demand the deposition of data files in trusted data repositories. Please remember some critical considerations when choosing a repository. These considerations are also found in the FAIR principles.
There are some certifications for data repositories.
Many accredited repositories require a paid membership, but some are free:
While the Technion doesn’t own an institutional repository, and due to the fact that accreditation of repositories is still in its first steps, some unaccredited, well-reputed repositories are accepted, such as Zenodo, Open Science Framework, Dryad (paid membership required), Figshare and Harvard Dataverse Repository.
re3data is a search engine for repositories in all disciplines, so you can find one that meets your needs (subject-oriented or general, storage, type of data, accreditation, etc.).
The Technion libraries will assist in identifying which repository is suitable for the project.
You can find more recommended data repositories in the Horizon Europe Data Guidelines.
A network of Technion contact points is available to support DMP preparation and data management in ERC projects:
| Topic | Role | Contact |
|---|---|---|
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Data repositories The Library will assist in identifying which repository best suits the needs of the project and assist with technical issues of storing the data |
The Technion libraries |
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Privacy Any privacy related issues, including clinical studies, GDPR, etc. |
Data Protection Officer (DPO) |
Ofer Rosenbloom dpo@technion.ac.il (Please cc Research Authority on any correspondence) |
|
Data protection Procedures for backup and recovery; transfer of sensitive data and secure storage in repositories for long-term preservation and curation |
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) |
Moshe Glickstein glickstein.m@technion.ac.il |
|
Assisting researchers to understand all the criteria of their grant conditions. Technical assistance with EU portal and communication with EU Project Officer |
Technion Research Authority |
ERC: Ella Klainer eklainer@trdf.technion.ac.il Michal Lotem michall@trdf.technion.ac.il Dr. Shunit Ben Ari shunitb@trdf.technion.ac.il |
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Other Horizon Europe projects: Hayley Binia-Wolman HayleyB@trdf.technion.ac.il Lee Zur leeh@trdf.technion.ac.il |
*Please note that privacy and protection issues often are entangled