UNC Research Data Management Core

Service Description

The UNC Research Data Management Core (RDMC) offers a range of services to help researchers and research teams develop and implement data management and sharing plans. These services, which are informed by prevailing standards and best practices for the effective stewardship of research data outputs, support compliance with data management and sharing policies issued by funding agencies, journals, and other research stakeholders.

To learn more about RDMC and its services, please visit https://researchdata.unc.edu/.

General Data Management and Sharing Support

The RDMC data stewardship and architecture teams can answer questions about funding agency data management and sharing policies, data management and sharing plans, tools and resources to support data management and sharing activities, data management and sharing standards and best practices, and any other related topics.

Data Management and Sharing Plan Review

The RDMC team of data management and curation experts offers an optional data management and sharing plan (DMSP) review service to help researchers comply with funding agencies’ data management and sharing policies. The team assesses whether the DMSP adheres to policy requirements and how feasible its projected implementation is, given the type, size, and format of the data as described in the grant proposal. The team also suggests available technologies and services to support effective management and sharing of those data.

This is an optional service, and there are no penalties for not undergoing a DMSP review or for not implementing RDMC recommendations. However, researchers who do not have their plans reviewed face risks: denial of award, delay of award, post-award DMSP revisions, or DMSP implementation challenges.

Please visit https://researchdata.unc.edu/dmsp-review-service/ to learn more about the DMSP Review Service offering, including submission requirements, request deadlines, and levels of review service.

Basic Data Management Service 

The RDMC Basic Data Management Service supports minimum compliance with funding agency policies that require investigators and institutions to plan for data management and sharing and to demonstrate implementation of data management and sharing plans.

Effective November 1, 2024, all sponsored projects that are classified under the Organized Research or Clinical Trials categories will receive the RDMC Basic Data Management Service, which must be included in the project budget.

For more information about the RDMC Basic Data Management Service, including a description of service benefits and up-to-date fee information, please visit https://researchdata.unc.edu/rdmc-basic-services/.

Add-on Data Management Services

RDMC offers a suite of custom add-on services that complement the RDMC Basic Data Management Service, offering additional support for projects with intensive or challenging data management and sharing needs. Like the Basic Service, these Add-on Data Management Services ensure compliance with funding agency data management and sharing policies and promote standards and best practices for effective research data stewardship.

RDMC Add-on Services include UNC Dataverse repository customization, data management and sharing consultation, data curation, large-scale data archiving, and sensitive data repository management. For descriptions of RDMC Add-on Data Management Services and current recharge rates, please visit https://researchdata.unc.edu/add-on-services/.

UNC Dataverse Support

The Research Data Management Core manages and maintains UNC Dataverse, which is a trusted generalist data repository designed specifically for preserving and sharing research data and related materials in accordance with the FAIR principles for findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable data.  The RDMC team is available to answer questions about UNC Dataverse, to assist with navigating the system and its features, and to provide support for technical issues.

For more information about UNC Dataverse and links to UNC Dataverse user guidance materials, please visit https://researchdata.unc.edu/tools/dataverse/

Audience

RDMC services are available to UNC-CH faculty, staff, students, and UNC-CH affiliates.

Requirements

For the DMSP Review Service, the RDMC review team must have access to documents that outline policy requirements AND components of the grant proposal that describe in detail the data to be generated and/or used by the project. To receive a FULL review, requests must be submitted at least 3 weeks prior to the sponsor’s proposal submission deadline. For more information about DMSP Review Service requirements, timelines, and service levels, please visit https://researchdata.unc.edu/dmsp-review-service/.

Service Charges

Fees apply to the Basic Data Management Service and Add-on Data Management Services. Please visit https://researchdata.unc.edu/ for detailed information about fees. 

Please note that RDMC Add-on Data Management Services are offered as an addition to--NOT a replacement for--the RDMC Basic Data Management Service. All sponsored projects that are classified under the Organized Research or Clinical Trials categories will receive the Basic Data Management Service, which must be included in their grant budgets. RDMC Add-on Data Management Services must be included as a separate line item in the proposal budget and budget justification.

Support

Questions about budgeting policies for the RDMC Basic Data Management Service fee should be directed to the Office of Sponsored Programs at OSPHelp@unc.edu.

Documentation

UNC Research Data Management Core website

https://researchdata.unc.edu/
The Research Data Management Core website contains information about the organization and resources for research data management and sharing support.

RDMC Frequently Asked Questions

https://researchdata.unc.edu/faqs/
RDMC maintains a list of frequently asked questions about RDMC and its service offerings, data management and sharing requirements, UNC Dataverse, and other related questions.

RDMC Knowledge Base

coming soon
Browse articles that feature various important research data management and sharing topics including funding agency data policies, data management standards and best practices, trustworthy data repositories, and more.

RDMC Boilerplates and Templates

coming soon
RDMC offers standard boilerplates and templates for RDMC data management service budget justifications, letters of support and collaboration, and other documentation.

Expected Delivery

Varies by project

Keywords

storage, archive, NIH, NSF, FAIR