Call them Data Stewards: specialists in research data management at the University of Bologna

They are called Data Stewards: they are the new specialists whose task is to assist researchers in the management of research data, to ensure transparency and accessibility. The University of Bologna, which has established this new professional figure internally, was invited to present its experience at the first Italian Tripartite Assembly on the EOSC held in Rome on 5 June 2023 with the participation of the European Open Science Cloud Association, the European Commission, and the Italian Ministry of University and Research.

Professor Francesca Masini, Rector's Delegate for Open Science and Research Data, and Professor Monica Forni, Unibo representative in the European Open Science Cloud Association (EOSC-A), participated for the University of Bologna.

"The University of Bologna already recognises in its Strategic Plan the fundamental role of data in improving the quality of research, in terms of transparency and accessibility, and its impact, in terms of dissemination and exploitation," explains Professor Masini. "It is in this context that the Data Steward @Unibo project fits in. The project was born with the aim of creating a team of specialists that can follow the researcher through the entire lifecycle of the research data".

The figure of the Data Steward arose in the context of the European Research Area in response to a growing need for research reproducibility, adherence to the principles of Open Science and FAIR management of research data (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). In the wake of European experiences, the University of Bologna therefore introduced this role in Italy as well.

"Each of our Data Stewards offers support on specific disciplinary domains - biomedical area, technology area, humanities area, social area - but also has cross-disciplinary skills in FAIR data management and Open Science," explains Professor Masini. "The team thus becomes a single point of contact for guidance on the management of research data, capable of coordinating with the library system and those dealing with privacy, ethical issues, technology transfer and intellectual property, and database management".

Data Stewards then guide the researchers in making data management choices during the research process and provide support for the drafting of the Data Management Plan (DMP), a mandatory deliverable in Horizon Europe projects that details data management, keeping track of both what has been done and what is still in progress.

The Data Steward @Unibo project shows the University of Bologna's strong commitment to Open Science, which is also being developed through other initiatives. The following projects, in which UNIBO participates, and which contribute to the dissemination of Open Science, were also presented as posters at the Tripartite Assembly: the project "Strengthening of the Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure of Italy" (BBMRI.it), which aims to strengthen the Italian hub of the BBMRI-ERIC research infrastructure and the services it offers to all Italian biobanks, also through the creation of new biobanks including that of the University of Bologna; the project "GraspOS: Next Generation Research Assessment to Promote Open Science", which aims to develop, assess, and manage an open and reliable federated infrastructure for next-generation research metrics and indicators, offering data, tools, services, and guidance; the RitrainPlus project, which brings together European Research Infrastructures and Universities to promote open access to national and international scientific infrastructures in Europe through the enhancement of human resources; and finally, the project "PE5 Changes - Spoke 4: virtual technologies for museums and art collections", developed within the framework of the NRP and focused on cultural heritage, to expand the use of digital in museums and art galleries, thus improving knowledge and organisation of museum objects, public engagement, accessibility, and inclusiveness.