The Research Data Management Core (RDMC) provides expertise in all aspects of data management and archiving to help researchers navigate new funding agency requirements.
Launched in the fall of 2023, RDMC is the result of more than a year of planning in response to new requirements from the NIH and other federal funding agencies mandating that every research proposal be accompanied by a formal data management and sharing plan.
By initially utilizing resources and personnel from the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) created the unit to address the challenges of research data management holistically across the entire research life cycle.
“We evaluate all aspects of data,” says Jon Crabtree, director of RDMC. “From the beginning of a project we look at the sensitivity, quantity, format, mobility, and accessibility of data generated by studies.”
This approach allows researchers to fulfill data sharing requirements when studies are published so that they can be more easily accessed for future projects. And because RDMC assists with the compliance and submission of data management plans, the service also ensures that Carolina can competitively seek research funding.
While RDMC will continue to evolve due to the rapidly changing regulatory landscape, Carolina is at the forefront of efforts like this across the country. One key aspect that will be considered going forward is the use of AI in research. To successfully implement this technology, data must be managed well.
“We’re thinking about how to best organize and tag data to be compatible with AI,” Crabtree says. “For example, researchers are predicting that AI will help speed up the drug discovery process. If you don’t have data that is described well, AI won’t know what to do with it. That could put our researchers at a disadvantage.”
RDMC will play a prominent role in helping OVCR craft a research data strategy and in implementing technical infrastructure and support mechanisms across the research lifecycle.
“We are practicing good stewardship by ensuring that data is accessible long after studies end and even when researchers leave the University,” Crabtree says. “We’re working on policies that will be coordinated across departments, offices, units, and agencies to manage this.”
The NIH and other federal funding agencies understand that there are costs associated with data management and sharing. As guidance on this subject is modified, the model and proposal budgets will be adjusted as appropriate.
Learn more about RDMC’s services, which include training, consultations, network building, solution development, and policy implementation.