Metroline Step: Build the Team

STATUS: IN DEVELOPMENT

Short Description

‘Human resources are the most important part of the FAIRification process. Having a team with the right skillset will play an important role in achieving your FAIRification goals.’ (FAIRopoly)

To be able to reach your FAIRification goals, having a team with the right skillset is important. The composition of the team depends on the exact goals and different skills may be necessary in different phases of the of the process. See, for example:

In this step we present a list of common roles and resources involved in the FAIRification process. This will help you identify which team members and expertise are required and available (or missing) in your team.

Since a FAIR data steward is essential for reaching the FAIRification goals, the step a separate step has been dedicated to this role. See “Metroline Step: Have a FAIR data steward on board” for details on this crucial role.

Why is this step important

FAIRification is a complicated process and requires expertise from a variety of fields. Assembling the right team is essential to meet your FAIR objectives.

How to

step 1

Define the FAIRification Objectives you want to reach in your project. These objectives define which FAIR Metroline steps are relevant and each step suggests the expertise necessary.

step 2

The table below gives an overview of the different roles a professional can have in research data management. You will find:

A description of the main tasks usually handled by each role.
A collection of research data management responsibilities for each role.
Links to RDMkit guidelines and advice (where applicable) on useful information for getting started with data management specific to each role.

The table is based on De Novo, RDMkit, Netherlands eScience center and practical experience.

Expert	Description	Metroline Steps
Domain expert	Domain experts have deep knowledge and expertise in a particular domain. They have a deep understanding of the intricacies, challenges, and nuances of their field.	FAIRification objective
FAIR Data Steward/Data manager	Individuals responsible for managing and curating research or healthcare data within organisations or projects. Job title and exact activities and responsibilities vary between organisations. In the Metroline steps we will refer to this role as “data steward”. Details on this role in the team are described in a separate step Have a FAIR data steward on board.
EDC system specialist	Individual who has experience with and knowledge of Electronic Data Capture (EDC) systems, such as Castor EDC, REDCAP or OpenClinica. They are in charge of setting up user access, data validation checks and electronic case report forms in the EDC system. They offer technical help to researchers and ensure data integrity and regulatory compliance.
Information Professionals	Librarians, archivists, and information scientists involved in organising and preserving data assets.
Institutional Review Board (IRB) / Medical Ethics Review Committee (METC)	Evaluate research protocols and ensure the research complies with regulatory requirements and ethical standards. For research to which the WMO (Medical Research Involving Human Subjects Act) is applicable, evaluation must be done by an accredited METC or by the CCMO (Central Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects).
IT and Systems Administrators	Professionals responsible for maintaining data infrastructure(s) and ensuring technical compatibility and accessibility for an organisation or department.
Policy maker	Decision-makers responsible for research data management policies that promote FAIR data practices within an institute.
Principal Investigator	Leads a clinical trial or research project. Responsible for following the data management requirements and guidelines of the organisation and/or funder. Decisions regarding data management are documented in the DMP (data management plan).
Researcher / scientist	Professionals involved in collecting, analyzing, and sharing data as part of a clinical trial, research project or other scientific endeavors.
Research Software Engineer	A Research Software Engineer (RSE) is a professional with in-depth knowledge of one or more research fields and expertise in software development and methodology. To address research issues and find solutions within their field of study, RSEs concentrate on creating and/or maintaining research software.
Semantic data modelling specialists	A semantic data modelling specialsit is primarily responsible for designing and implementing semantic data models. These models are a representation of knowledge and concepts in a structured format that a computer can understand. They use tools like RDF, OWL and SPARQL.
Senior expert of standards for automated access protocols and privacy preservation	Has expertise with standards for protocols for secure and automated access to sensitive data while preserving privacy. They guarantee adherence to pertinent guidelines and laws, such the GDPR.
Senior healthcare interoperability expert	A healthcare interoperability expert is responsible for ensuring smooth communication and data interchange between various healthcare systems and applications, including electronic health records and medical devices. In compliance with legal requirements, they create, put into practice, and uphold interoperability standards and protocols that facilitate the safe and effective interchange of patient data.
Trainer	Professionals involved in training and educating others, such as PhD students, postdocs, researchers, technicians and PIs. In case of FAIR related training this includes practices for managing and sharing data.

Todo:

Rewrite some descriptions that are copy-pasted → done?
Verify Expertise already mentioned in step exists here
Hier nog naar kijken: https://research-dream-team-toolkit.readthedocs.io/en/latest/scenario.html
- Zie onderaan
- Even more roles can be found on the website of the dream team toolkit.

In the FAIRification objectives step the following expertise is mentioned:

Domain expert; provides context to the FAIRification efforts from the perspective of a domain
Data stewards; helps defining FAIR objectives to meet the project’s, funder’s, journal’s and/or institute’s requirements
FAIR experts, such as metadata/semantics specialists; helps specifying the metadata/modeling aspects of FAIR objectives
ELSI experts, help identifying the legal compliance and ethical aspects of your FAIR objectives.

FAIR experts

It is the responsibility of a FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) specialist to ensure digital assets and data follow the FAIR principles. Tasks involve developing and implementing plans to enhance data discoverability via metadata enhancement and standardised identifiers, ensuring accessibility by instituting appropriate data storage and access methods and fostering interoperability by adopting shared data standards and formats.

ELSI experts

Assessing and handling the ELSI (Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications) components of research in domains like genetics and medicine falls under the purview of an ELSI specialist. They offer direction on how to handle difficult ethical dilemmas involving data sharing, privacy, informed consent, and possible societal repercussions of research findings.

Table from the dreamteam source

Areas of expertise	Roles
Privacy and security	Privacy and compliance officer Data protection officer Legal counsel Information security specialist Knowledge security officer Cybersecurity analyst IT security specialist
Ethics	Research ethics committee member Research ethics board member Ethicist / Ethics adviser Diversity and inclusion officer
Commercialisation / valorsation	Business developer Intellectual property specialist Legal counsel Technology transfer officer Entrepreneurship advisor Market and investment analysts Product developer Marketing and sales professionals
Citizen science / societal engegement	Community Engagement Specialist Community Manager Publication engagement officer Participatory research manager
Communication, education and outreach	Communication Specialist Science writer / editor Event manager Education & outreach coordinator
Data and software	Data steward Data manager Data curator Data scientist Research software engineer
Project administration	Project manager Finance / business control Contract manager Research administrator
Project funding	Grants officer Grants adviser Policy and strategy adviser
Infrastructure and instrumentation	Research infrastructure developer Research application manager Instrumentation engineer Technician Laboratory Manager Infrastructure manager

Expertise requirements for this step

To be able to define your team, you need to know the goals and steps for your project.

Project manager

Practical Examples from the Community

VASCERN (European Reference Network on Rare Multisystemic Vascular Diseases) describe the team used for the VASCA (Vascular Anomalies Registry) FAIRification in their De Novo paper, with a detailed description available in the paper’s supplementary material, table S1.
- VASCA is a demonstrator project. More information can be found on its demonstrator page on the Health-RI website.

Training

Relevant training will be added in the future.