Data Stewardship – addressing disciplinary data management needs

One of the biggest challenges for multidisciplinary research institutions which provide data management support to researchers is addressing disciplinary differences1. Centralised services need to be general enough to cater for all the different flavours of research conducted in an institution. At the same time, focusing on the common denominator means that subject-specific differences and needs may not be effectively addressed. In 2017, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) embarked on an ambitious Data Stewardship project, aiming to comprehensively address data management needs across a multi-disciplinary campus. In this practice paper, we describe the principles behind the Data Stewardship project at TU Delft, the progress so far, we identify the key challenges and explain our plans for the future.