Speakers
Description
Research funding organizations in the Asia Pacific are moving forward to develop support for research data management (RDM), especially for data-intensive research. At the same time, researchers and students are becoming more proactive in sharing datasets to enhance research visibility and impact. The convergence of top-down data policies and bottom-up initiatives is shaping a culture of data management and sharing that supports research integrity and trustworthy science.
This session offers a platform for institutions to share experiences with research data management support in the Asia Pacific. It will address what programs are in place, how they are implemented, how data communities engage with policymakers, and the challenges encountered. Four presenter groups from different research data contexts will share their ongoing stewardship efforts across the region.
1. Shoichiro Hara and Yasuyuki Minamiyama
Research data management in Japanese academic research institutions has already been practiced in the natural sciences and engineering. However, it is difficult to say that there is sufficient understanding or implementation of research data in the humanities and social sciences. Academic institutions in Southeast Asian countries are also facing similar problems, and there is a delay in establishing appropriate systems and frameworks to manage, preserve, and reuse research data. Then, Kyoto University, which has built up networks with universities and various communities in Southeast Asia, started an international exchange project to support the promotion of RDM in this area. Through joint surveys of the current state of RDM in the Southeast Asian area, this exchange project aims to create a framework that promotes the development of human resources related to RDM activities adapted to each area's situation. To this end, we will provide training on GakuNin-RDM, a research data management platform, and introduce examples of RDM implementation at higher research and educational institutions such as Kyoto University. At the same time, through this exchange, we will explore ways to promote RDM in the humanities and social sciences in Japan. In this session, we will provide an overview of our project and report on the current situation of RDM in Japan and Southeast Asia.
2. Su Nee GOH and Willie KOH
At the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, Data Management Plans (DMPs) became mandatory in 2016 and was integrated into the grant system. Principal investigators must submit a DMP as a prerequisite to access funding. NTU’s DMP guides PIs to prepare for the sharing of non-sensitive research data on open access repositories, in accordance with the FAIR principles, Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. This contributes to research integrity, reproducibility, and efficient reuse.
However, the research landscape has evolved significantly in recent years due to geo-political developments and heightened attention to data security. In response, NTU is currently revamping its DMP template to better align with its institutional data security framework requirements, and to guide researchers also focus on protecting sensitive, personal, and confidential data, especially in collaborative projects with commercial and industrial companies.
The revised DMP will not only continue to support the planning for FAIR data but will also embrace FAIRER data principles, where 'E' stands for 'Ethical' and 'R' stand for 'Responsible'.
In this presentation, we will share our journey towards implementing a FAIRER DMP that reflects both transparency and the evolving responsibilities of data stewardship.
3. Pei-shan Liao and Meng-nan Lee
Research data management has been an important issue in respond to open science and open data initiatives. Despite persistent challenges in sharing social science research data, Survey Research Data Archive (SRDA) in Taiwan has played an important role in the systematic acquisition, organization, and preservation of academic survey data, and its dissemination to scholars and researchers mainly for academic purposes. Standard data management procedures are applied to ensure data are compatible with the FAIR Data Principles.
In this presentation, we will share SRDA's experience with RDM practices. These include formatting and metadata requirements at the time of data submission, the standardization of questionnaires and codebooks during the curation stage, and strategies for format conversion and long-term preservation during storage and archiving. Throughout each stage, comprehensive regulations and systems are in place. As an important data infrastructure in Taiwan, SRDA has established clear principles for data categorization, de-identification, and access control based on the sensitivity level of the data. We will conclude by discussing the future challenges of RDM in managing social science data.
4. Tyng-Ruey Chuang and Hilary Szu Yin Shiue
Despite global advances in open science, many regions still lack strong national policies or sustainable funding for research data management. The depositar lab in Taiwan has operated in this environment since 2013. Additionally, from 2017 and on, the lab has been developing a FAIR-aligned research data repository -- the depositar -- and supporting researchers' data sharing efforts largely through bottom-up initiatives in Academia Sinica, with some funding from Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). This presentation will share our experiences building and maintaining an RDM platform, advocating for institutional policy changes, and navigating some barriers to improved research data practices in different disciplines. We highlight our success in influencing the NSTC's DMP requirements for grants awarded for research database development, and reflect on the ongoing challenges of sustainability as the depositar transitions from a lab-hosted project to proposed institutional infrastructure. Our story shows the challenge for emerging open science cultures to move from grassroots actions to more stable and sustainable systems.
