Lori Walker

Data management has reached a new level of maturity and sustainability in Canada. Factors driving this evolution include RDM policies from federal funding agencies, national funding for data management as part of a new Digital Research Infrastructure organization, and Portage advances in RDM platforms, services, tools, and training. Portage has been at the forefront of RDM evolution in Canada. Portage partnered with federal funders by promoting and informing RDM policy development through four years of consultation, and by providing practical solutions to institutions and researchers seeking to comply with policy requirements. Portage partnered with government to inform decisions surrounding a national strategy for digital research infrastructure, which, happily, includes Data Management as one of three key components (alongside Advanced Research Computing [ARC] and Research Software [RS]). And, through a variety of fruitful and collaborative partnerships, Portage has expanded institutional and researcher RDM capacity by providing support for data management planning, data deposit, training, and adoption of best practices in data stewardship. Specific to the CAREB audience, this presentation will report on progress made on two ‘sensitive data’ initiatives – (i) development of deposit-friendly language for ethics applications and data-access agreements, and (ii) a data management planning template for research involving indigenous data. Keywords: Data management, national strategy, RDM policy