LBTU data stewards

Introduction

A team of data stewards is a specialized support unit that provides research data management and maintenance services to LBTU researchers, students and teaching staff.

Our goal is to help ensure quality data management throughout the research lifecycle, from data collection and storage to their use and open publication in line with FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable).

Creating a team of data stewards

On 20 May 2024, the Higher Education and Science information Technology Shared Service Centre, or VPC, signed a contract for the implementation of the European Union Recovery Fund project No. 2.1.3.1.i.0/2/23/I/CFLA/002 “Support for the implementation of open science in practice, as well as created solutions for science data sharing and participation in the EU open science cloud”. The project is being implemented in cooperation with Rīga Stradiņš University, University of Latvia, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies and Riga Technical University.

One of the objectives of the project is to establish a cooperation network of Latvian research management specialists (data stewards) and to train the specialists necessary for it. In order to achieve this objective, an open competition was launched which resulted in five teams of data stewards, one for the VPC and one for each of the universities of science. All data stewards have been contracted with the VPC until May 31, 2026.

Data steward team

The LBTU data steward team:

  • Ilmars Dukulis (head of the team);
  • Ingus Smits;
  • Janis Judrups;
  • Nikolajs Bumanis.

Data stewards' working time

Data stewards spend about one-third of their working time on professional development, learning different aspects of the research data management in Latvia and abroad. The other third of the time is spent working in four different working groups (WGs) – the Data Management Services Development WG, the Shared IT Solutions WG, the Regulatory Documentation WG and the Knowledge Transfer WG. Each of them is composed of at least one representative of each university and the data stewards of the VPC. The last third of the time is dedicated to providing research data management and maintenance services to the researchers, teaching staff and students of the specific university.

A team of data stewards will provide the following services

Some of the listed services can already be provided by stewards, but others only after all the training courses have been completed.

Data management planning

  • Advice on the development of a Data Management Plan (DMP) adapted to the needs and funding requirements of specific projects.
  • Assistance in the preparation of the DMP on the ARGOS platform.

Data storage and security

  • Advice on secure data storage, handling and use.
  • Advice on data encryption, anonymisation and other security practices to protect sensitive data.
  • Consultations in the field of data backup and data recovery.
  • Development of guidelines on secure data storage, handling and use.

Data sharing and publishing

  • Support in sharing and opening research data to a wider audience in line with the principles of open science and open data.
  • Advice on the selection of the most appropriate data repositories and the preparation of metadata for the publication of datasets.
  • Assistance with licensing issues, selecting an appropriate licence for data use, e.g. Creative Commons.

Data quality

  • Advice on data quality criteria and their assessment, including accuracy, completeness and consistency.
  • Support ensuring data compatibility with international standards and other datasets.
  • Support in the implementation and maintenance of data quality control procedures.

Compliance with FAIR and Open Data principles

  • Support ensuring the FAIR principles (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) in data management.
  • Consultancy in the field of optimizing data structures, formats and metadata to facilitate their compliance with FAIR and open data principles.
  • Assistance in standardizing data sets and improving their usability for future research.

Training and advice

  • Workshops and training on data management, best practices and open science.
  • Development of guidelines, best practices and manuals on data management.
  • Individual advice to researchers on data management, tailoring services to the needs of specific projects.