Launch of the Data Stewardship Network at ETH Zurich
Whether for the management of research data, reproducible data analysis or the development of code scripts – the Data Stewardship Network opens up new opportunities for sharing data.
Both the ETH Board and external pageswissuniversities have launched wide-ranging external pageprogrammes to promote open research data (ORD) over the coming years. One key element of these programmes is to establish and professionalise the role of data stewards as individuals who support the management of research data and reproducible data workflows in research groups. Many research groups at ETH Zurich already include employees who assume responsibility for uniform research data management, reproducible data analysis or the development of code scripts.
To coincide with the start of 2023, the team for Research Data Management and Digital Curation at the ETH Library has therefore established the Data Stewardship Network (DSN) at ETH Zurich. The DSN aims to facilitate the networking of ETH employees working as experts or providing technical/administrative support in the area of research data management within research groups, institutes or departments.
“We often see postdocs, scientific coordinators and specialist IT staff within research groups taking on these types of tasks. This group of people and the positions they hold at ETH Zurich are therefore very heterogeneous. It is precisely these people who we want to network, as they have knowledge of a large number of different approaches and solutions within the area of data stewardship and data management. Those involved in the initiative will benefit from the mutual exchange of ideas”, says Dr Julian Dederke, responsible at ETH Zurich for coordinating the network established as part of a external pageswissuniversities project. The team at the ETH Library is also collaborating with Scientific IT Services, which is providing its expertise in areas such as storage infrastructure, reproducible data workflows and the subject of handling of sensitive research data.
In addition to networking people and their solutions for research data management (RDM), another key aspect of DSN is providing information about available courses and training materials. A further objective is to inform the network members about current developments at ETH Zurich and within Switzerland, as well as to improve the resources available for RDM support and data stewardship at ETH Zurich in general.
Do you work in the areas of research data management, data stewardship or open science at ETH Zurich? Are you interested in joining the data stewardship network? Please send an email to You can find further information about the project here.
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