01 September 2022

Sustainable management of clinical research data

The DKF actively participates in the Data Stewardship Program of the University of Basel. This initiative promotes sustainable ways of collecting, using and sharing of data as well as the establishment of efficient data management planning. The DKF contributes its unique experience in handling sensitive personal data.

Technical progress as well as the digitalisation and automation of data collection make handling of ever larger and more complex data sets possible. As a result, the preparation and analysis of research data is taking up a growing proportion of research activities. Specialised knowledge is required for the efficient and professional collection, processing and storage of data. In addition, the complexity of regulatory requirements has increased steadily in recent years. Thus, access to professional expertise is of great benefit to clinical researchers.

The Research Data Management Network at the University of Basel.

The University of Basel has recognised the importance of structured research data management that covers all project phases from concept to completion. Therefore, a cross-faculty initiative with the overall goal of improving the quality of research data as a whole has been brought to life. The goal is to support Basel researchers in setting-up a sustainable data management for the collection and reuse of their research data. This should ensure that they are able to meet the increasing demands of funding organisations, authorities and ethics committees, as well as research data repositories and publishers when publishing research results.

DKF Data Stewards at the Medical Faculty

Within each faculty, individuals are designated and trained as Data Stewards to assist researchers in their projects. Medical data is special, not least because of strict confidentiality and data protection requirements. The DKF is a predestined partner for the Data Stewardship Program due to its many years of experience in handling medical research data. Comprehensive Research Data Lifecycle Management (RDLM) requires multi-layered expertise that can rarely be covered by a single person. Therefore, the DKF has established a Data Stewardship team that covers the different aspects of handling sensitive research data for medical research projects.

In addition to providing direct advice and support to clinical researchers, DKF data stewards also serve as a link to other data stewards in the medical faculty, as well as to the entire research data management network of the University of Basel, thereby promoting interdisciplinary exchange and clarification of cross-disciplinary issues.