Rec. 13: Professionalise data science and data stewardship roles

[sjDCC]

Steps need to be taken to develop two cohorts of professionals to support FAIR data: data scientists embedded in those research projects which need them, and data stewards who will ensure the management and curation of FAIR data.

• Formal career pathways must be implemented to demonstrate the value of these roles and retain such professionalised roles in research teams.
  Stakeholders: Institutions; Global coordination fora.

• Key data roles need to be recognised and rewarded, in particular, the data scientists who will assist research design and data analysis, visualisation and modelling; and data stewards who will inform the process of data curation and take responsibility for data management.
  Stakeholders: Funders; Institutions; Publishers; Research communities.

• Professional bodies for these roles should be created and promoted. Accreditation should be developed for training and qualifications for these roles.
  Stakeholders: Institutions; Data services; Research communities.

[WietskeD]

The University of Groningen and the UMCG:
The data steward and data scientist support the researcher and the research process. The data steward and data scientist can be linked to a particular research project, but can also work on a department or institutional level, and be involved in multiple projects.
Data stewards, data scientists, researchers and institutes all have their own responsibility in data stewardship and FAIR data. It is important to note that the data steward and data scientist do not take over the responsibility of the researcher. For instances, researchers still need a sense of the GDPR and what this law means for their research.

[asconrad]

Like @WietskeD I would tend to understand data stewards as possibly being part of research projects in their own field of expertise.
Is this recommendation aligned with recommendations from EOSC Pilot, GO-TRAIN, and possibly others? As a potential adopter, I need to look for some sort of consensus on what these roles represent, before we can work on establishing curricula and accreditations.

[katerbow]

DFG position: DFG fully supports the recommendation to establish new professions to support data science and data management. It is important not to build only on existing personnel but to provide extra resources to train and recruit a new kind of support staff.

[ferag]

CSIC together with International University Menendez Pelayo and University of Cantabria is starting the second edition of the Master in Data Science (https://masterdatascience.ifca.es/index_en.html).

[pkdoorn]

Thumbs up.

[mromanie]

ESO position
We strongly support this recommendation. Both individual projects and data centres would benefit from professional data scientists and stewards.

[bertocco]

INAF (astronomy) position:
Also recognize people educating and forming Data Scientist and Stewards.

[npch]

SSI position:

In the UK the idea, support of funders, advocacy, and the formation of an association around the role of Research Software Engineers has received significant traction, and these RSEs should also be recognised as having a significant place in the promotion and support of both FAIR software and FAIR data.

Concerted practical effort is need to galvanise a new role in supporting research and this requires conversations with HR functions also and funders.

[sangusa]

EOSCpilot WP7 strongly supports this recommendation. We are launching a consultation next month on our Skills Framework, which recognises that data stewardship is a shared responsibility among researchers, data scientists, and professionals groups that support them including data managers, and data service engineers or research software engineers. We are identifying a minimal set of 'open science stewardship' competences, and will be mapping these to the 4 levels in the European Framework for research careers. Career pathways for the support roles are very desirable. The SSI work to develop this for Research Software Engineers is exemplary. Similar structures should be established for Data Stewards.

[gtoneill]

Fully support the further professionalisation of Data Stewardship and Data Science roles to train and support researchers in their research and on research projects. Data scientists and data stewards need to be trained in FAIR Data principles and practices and must be timely employed at institutions. Their contributions to research projects should be recognised and rewarded in their academic careers.