Positioning the Discussion

1. Positioning the Discussion DI Summit 2014 An Overview from the Study Team

2. Who we are & our role The Team • Janet Halliwell • Dennis Rank • Greg Jodouin Role • Consultations and review of background • Preparation of catalytic background papers • Website and engagement

3. The background papers • Environmental scans: • International • Canada • Acronyms (!) • Draft Policy Framework • Think piece – Roadmap • Also • From the TC3+ the consultation paper and a synthesis of the responses

4. What is DI??

5. The players/stakeholders

6. Canada – recent retrospective • Data Summit 2011 – comprehensive gaps analysis, national data strategy and critical next steps • DI Summit 2012 – principles, agreed cooperative approach, formation of the Leadership Council • Stakeholders step up to the plate and demonstrate engagement & commitment: • Research Data Canada implements an intensive program • Diverse local and regional initiatives (e.g. OCUL and West) • CARL initiates plan for a Research Data Management Network • Compute Canada completes the pan-Canada consultation • Emerging policy - the TC3+ consultation paper • DI Summit 2014 - extraordinary response to call for participation

7. Insights from off-shore • National DI initiatives have been framed by government policies – e.g. there is a significant “top down” approach that in turn engenders a bottom up response and engagement. • All recognize the need for multiple stakeholders to be engaged and the concomitant need for co-ordination. • From an early focus on physical infrastructure, the international DI discourse has increasingly used the lens of data as a national asset.

8. The Canadian SWOT - S • Culture of collaboration – e.g. 34 organizations actively engaged in RDC • Support for and recognition of the importance of research infrastructure • Established service providers in CANARIE and Compute Canada • The TC3+ leadership on RDM • A recent (and still nascent) coordination mechanism in the LC • Provincial interest in the critical role of DI in their jurisdictions

9. The Canadian SWOT - W • No policy framework • Imbalances in attention • Inadequacy and asymmetries of planning & financing mechanisms for generic DI • Research data management hampered by culture and paucity of “infrastructure” • Difficult to support people as infrastructure • Paucity of tool development (with some notable exceptions)

10. The Canadian SWOT - O • A stronger innovation system, value produced from data accessibility and reuse • Better tools for research and potential marketable products • Implementation of rewards and incentives for good RDM • New relationships that strengthen research • Benefits from better means of learning from and sharing of regional experiments • Extracting more benefit from int’l activities (e.g. RDA)

11. The Canadian SWOT - T • Complacency • No locus of coordination • Insufficient leadership • No advances on a policy framework • Undue resistance to TC3+ leadership on RDM initiatives • Lack of commitment to shared responsibility

12. To be more specific – 3 key problems - #1 Governance/coordination • Many and diverse stakeholders • Without increased collaboration and coordination, we risk fragmented approaches, sub-optimal alignment of activities and investments, and serious gaps in the digital infrastructure

13. To be more specific – 3 key problems - #2 Policy and planning framework • We lack a cohesive national policy that provides an integrated planning and funding framework for all the elements of the DI ecosystem • Policy frames strategies and tactics • Service providers at risk, including those who steward research data • One major change on the horizon – the TC3+ policy framework for RDM

14. To be more specific – 3 key problems - #3 Data management • Research data management may be the weakest link in the Canadian DI landscape, despite the massive increases in the amount of data being created daily through the research process. • Two closely aligned bottom up developments of importance - the work of Research Data Canada and the new initiative being spearheaded by CARL

15. Now – extending our perspectives • The voice of the community (Greg Jodouin) • The path forward (Dennis Rank)

16. The Voice of the Community (Context) • DI Summit 2012 —> someone is needed to represent entire DI ecosystem • Several strong champions for DI; yet they represent distinct components (discreet mandates, stakeholders) • LCDI was established to be the voice of the DI community as a whole —> A holistic mandate: • broad, diverse and cross-sectoral • organizations as well as individuals • established as well as emerging • direct and indirect interests • Work still needs to be done to more broadly encompass the data component and emerging sectors (e.g. humanities, social sciences, the arts)

17. The Voice of the Community (To Date) • As a new entity, LCDI’s challenge was to establish its legitimacy and mandate to engage the broader DI community • 1st step - to create a presence to facilitate engagement: • New bilingual website • Logo and organizational identity • Raising awareness levels • Engagement Efforts: • Identification of the stakeholders that make up the DI community and continuous efforts to build-up that network • Leveraging existing communications channels and networks of LCDI participants (newsletters, web, social media, events, etc.) • Email blasts to as diverse a set of stakeholders as possible • ‘Have Your Say’ Crowdsourcing campaign (over 1300 participants) • Op/Ed contributions, such as Re$earch Money • Input into other consultative activities (TC3+; S&T Strategy Renewal) • Ongoing communications with Government and other influencers

18. The Voice of the Community (Next Steps) • Developing messaging that resonates with a broader audience (simplifying the DI story) • Expanding the DI network (identifying new stakeholders to engage) • Creating tools to facilitate engagement (e.g., web-based interactions, newsletters, social media, events, etc.) • Frequently, widely communicating progress/next steps • Ongoing interactions with government, the funders, policy-makers and key influencers • And MOST importantly: Providing continued opportunities for feedback on broad topics, open to entire DI community

19. The path forward - overview • A concrete action plan needs to be developed. • This plan needs to have explicit leadership, roles, responsibilities, deliverables, and timelines. • “The buck stops here” in terms of identifying how DI will be designed and implemented. • We are asking you to commit!

20. The path forward – Phase I • The most critical issue is to identify WHO leads DI, and HOW it operates. • It will be a collaborative coalition of some form, e.g.: • The LCDI in more or less its current form, perhaps with different and/or additional players • Something new, envisioned here • It will provide high level liaison, coordination, planning, monitoring, reporting, oversight,and feedback to the community. • It will NOT be a governing or management body, but one with “moral authority” .

21. Working groups • The LCDI/Coalition cannot (and should not) attempt to design all DI aspects • Working groups are suggested for items that the community consultations have identified as critical pieces to design/fix in Phase I: • Refine the DI funding system • Address weaknesses in data management • Articulate the value propositions upstream and downstream, and for all Canadian stakeholders

22. Phase II • Strong engagement of government and the private sector is required • Governments to lay out high level policy and funding frameworks • The private sector will eventually gain enormous innovation advantages from the research findings • Expertise, skills development, and user assistance will be crucial pieces. • Software and middleware tool development. • Open communications and engagement throughout the communities using DI.

23. Preconditions to moving forward • Assuming acceptance of • The problem statement • We have had enough discussion about problems; need to turn to actions to address • The urgency • We need the items on the following slides from you

24. What we need to decide here • What are the top 5 issues that need to be addressed: • By you as action items • As recommendations to TC3+ and/or government • How should key stakeholders act together for ongoing coordination and integration: • Who should be in the LCDI/Coalition (or ???) • How should it operate? • NOTE: this goes beyond the excellent existing cooperation among agencies

25. What we need to decide – Cont’d • How do we develop the Policy Framework: • What is the role of the Policy Framework? • Who is drafting it, who is reviewing it? • E.g., IC, in consultation with TC3+ and the LCDI/Coalition • What are the key elements of the Roadmap: • Near-term actions and Working Groups • Recommendations to TC3+ and government • E.g., appropriate funding mechanisms, developed in consultation with LCDI • What do you and/or your organization commit to doing?