The Added Value of a CRIS in Archiving Research Data and Registering Data Management Plans. A Case Study of Radboud University and the National Data Archive DANS, the Netherlands

Abstract

In 2016, Radboud University (Nijmegen, The Netherlands) and national data archive DANS initiated a project to extend Radboud University’s CRIS (METIS) to allow researchers to register and archive their research data in the CRIS, at the same time making their data available for reuse at the DANS archive. As we speak (spring 2018), a data management plan (DMP) module is being added, allowing researchers to draft and register their DMP’s via the CRIS. All modules together offer a one-stop-shop for researchers: data registration and archiving combined with registration of DMP and articles, uploading full text to the repository, linking between results and the creation of researcher’s profile pages.

The paper will explain the technical adjustments to the CRIS and DANS systems, and the services to guarantee FAIR data archiving. This latter also includes services on data curation processes, which secure the quality of the metadata and documentation of the archived data. We use Radboud University as a good practice of the use of CRIS’s in the research data life cycle. It will be demonstrated that both for researchers and research institutes, a CRIS oriented approach to research data management brings added value.