Program boosts research infrastructure: “We are going to build bridges between disciplines”

The world of data today is vastly different from the one when Reyer Gerlagh embarked on his scientific career. The economist, specializing in climate change, recalls how as a young researcher he would set to work using 500 numbers. “Today, we sometimes use twenty million variables. And we also want to link data, for example, national statistics and data from corporate databases. That raises questions. How are we to do this? What contracts do we need? Where will we store data?” For years, improvisation was the way forward. Now the time has come for a big quality boost, Gerlagh believes. And he is not the only one. Tilburg University has initiated a major program with a strategic focus on research infrastructure.

No overview

It has fallen to Gerlagh, as chair of the steering group, to give quality improvement of the research infrastructure a boost. And the Vice-Dean for Research is eager to do so because he believes that investing in research infrastructure is investing in the power of attraction. “For researchers, data management is crucial. In job interviews, they always ask how we manage data and what options there are. It is one of the deciding factors for them.” To Gerlagh’s mind it is clear what arrangements must be in place. “What we need is a more structured approach to data. It must be reproducible and we want to make sure it is without users drowning in admin. Another issue is data storage. I was one of those people who tended to use Dropbox because it’s so easy to use and functional. But that is no longer allowed because it’s unsafe. Alternatives abound, but which one to choose? There currently is no overview of what systems we put to what use.”

Gerlagh fully expects that the new program will fundamentally change both the research infrastructure and the approach to data. But he is well aware that change is not necessarily the same as improvement – which is why he insists that change must come from researchers for researchers. “It is essential that our support staff solve the issues researchers face. That support must not meet with the line manager’s approval but with that of the researchers. At the end of the day, it is for them to say, ‘Now it’s just right’.” 

We want to observe the FAIR principles when using data; data must be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable

Research infrastructure program manager Kitty de Heij

Landscape analysis

Research infrastructure program manager Kitty de Heij does not need telling that researchers are in the lead. Her extensive experience with organizational improvement has taught her that success is conditional on the involvement of researchers at all levels. “Every single change we wish to implement must contribute to improving the researchers’ working conditions. It is our job to support them by coming up with solutions that make their work easier.”

The approach chosen is a thorough one, de Heij explains. The program is divided into five themes. The first three concern data: data and data management, research IT (processing data), and labs and lab management (generating data). Themes four and five concern organizational matters: multidisciplinary collaboration and research support. Each theme will have its own dedicated program team. Two feedback groups will also be set up: one for the first three themes and one for themes four and five.

The research infrastructure program starts with a landscape analysis that is due to be completed in December of this year. It takes stock of data and research support solutions already in place, de Heij says. “We will also be mapping needs and we’ll do that by meeting researchers: the input will come from them. What is it they need to perform as best they can? Do the tools currently available suffice or are additional arrangements called for? For each program line, we will subsequently draw up a list of requirements.” 

Once everything has been charted by the end of this year, it is time to make choices. De Heij: “We will use parameters to help us do so. Researchers and support staff will create a position paper outlining the evolution of digitalization and of society. What are future needs? Open science, for example, could well be an issue the paper addresses. The issue is relevant to universities because they are publicly funded and ring-fencing science doesn’t sit well with that given. We also want to observe the FAIR principles when using data; data must be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable.” The supply-and-demand analysis and the parameters defined in the position paper will then be used to generate a road map of changes to be implemented, de Heij continues. “That is what we are working towards.” 

The challenge is to ensure that there can be mutual communication. And disciplines learn from each other.

Reyer Gerlagh

Synergy

Choosing will not be easy, Gerlagh and de Heij realize. Because even though harmonization is expedient, researchers will want to be able to do their thing. Gerlagh knows only too well how many approaches to data there are. “Each discipline has its own variables and acquired habits. In law, for example, targeted word counts are often used, whereas economists use numbers a lot. The challenge is to ensure that there can be mutual communication. And disciplines learn from each other. Some economists, for example, use the word count methodology legal researchers commonly use.”

It is that kind of synergy that offers the best opportunity to engender enthusiasm for the program, de Heij believes. “For the various disciplines, opportunities to learn from each other have clear added value.” An example? “The thirteen labs are currently organized along fairly different lines, and to some extent that makes sense because of the diverging research methodologies. But in terms of management and organization, these labs could be on the same level; they could help each other professionalize. We could also create a better overview enabling the labs to be of more use to each other.” De Heij sees plenty of opportunities for copying and applying approaches successfully used elsewhere. One example is the hub at the Tilburg School of Economics and Management that offers easy-access research support. De Heij: “A solid infrastructure needs bridges, and we are going to build them.”