About the Project

The Circular Research Data Summer Camp was a week-long course combining synchronous and asynchronous sessions. This format and setup were tested for the first time. Researchers learned the steps to take for closing the circle and achieve data sustainability following the FAIR principles of RDM (i.e. Circular Research Data).

This online summer camp resulted from a pilot project awarded under the SURF-DCC Grant 2020-2021. The objective was to pilot the creation of a FAIR training infrastructure that serves as the foundation for training local trainers to implement the FAIR principles, and which can be replicated nationally.

This objective was accomplished. Moreover, some of the highlights are the brand new training infrastructure that follows the theme of Circular Research Data and the greater focus on examples and less on theory. This approach was well received by the participants.
The lectures are Open Access, and the coursebook code is Open Source, developed following the Library Carpentries approach. They are registered in the open repository Zenodo.

These new breeds of FAIR training infrastructure are made possible due to the alignment with national and international efforts. In this project, the RDM team worked closely with the DANS Training Coordinator and attended the Open Science Train the Trainer Bootcamp organized by OpenAIRE. Moreover, the eScience Center’s expertise in digital skills was central to it.

About the project leader

The project was led by Pedro Hernandez Serrano. Pedro is the Faculty Data Steward at Faculty of Science and Engineering, aiding policy development regarding computing infrastructure and data management. Pedro is part of the RDM support team at the UM Library, where he works as a liaison for Research Software and Interoperability technologies. He has a background in Data Science and has been Data Architect on various UM projects. He recently got awarded the eScience Center Fellowship to promote FAIR Software activities.

The Future of FAIR trainings

SURF, together with NWO, launched the third round of Call for Proposals pilots and projects aimed at local DCCs (Digital Competence Centers).
It would be inspiring to see if more FAIR training infrastructure projects come about.

This type of summer course format is expected to carry on the following academic year at the University Library, given that the FAIR training infrastructure is in place.