Results from UBC’s Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) needs assessment survey have been released as a joint report from UBC Library, and UBC Advanced Research Computing (UBC ARC).
The report outlines findings from a survey of over 200 UBC researchers on both campuses undertaken in spring 2021, and reveals three key recommendations on how to support UBC researchers to access appropriate training and services in digital research skills such as data and statistical analysis, accessing/applying machine learning, data visualization, data privacy and security, and more.
Read the report here:
The three overarching recommendations are for UBC to:
- Develop a unified web presence and governance structure to connect resources, support and tools from across the institution that serve DRI, to provide a single point of entry to DRI at UBC.
- Establish a unified communication strategy across these service providers that is cohesive and researcher-focused.
- Implement a unified training and support strategy that leverages the roles and expertise of various UBC partners and that is inclusive of, and sensitive to, the staffing, resources, and unique contexts of each campus.
The findings echo those of the national Canadian Digital Research Infrastructure Needs Assessment, released in October from the Digital Research Alliance of Canada, including outlining the need for greater awareness of services, a need for training and support across a range of DRI elements, as well as there being multiple locations in which researchers seek DRI services.
A digital research infrastructure working group comprising members in research data support roles across the university has been assembled to respond to the findings. The DRI working group’s mandate will include ensuring strong alignment between their response and the recommendations of UBC’s forthcoming research data management strategy, set to be finalized and released in spring 2023.
Any comments or questions regarding the assessment can be sent to arc.support@ubc.ca or submitted here.