The UK's Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) has developed a research information management infoKit that is expected to benefit the nation's 30,000 researchers by offering guidance on preparing for the Research Excellence Framework (REF). It also offers examples of best practice in this area.
The infokit has been developed by JISC and JISC infoNet in conjunction with a number of universities. The organisations have worked to identify the issues and challenges they currently face within their research teams in managing the research lifecycle, from bidding for a grant to publication of results.
It has been observed that currently there is no common standard across the UK research community to manage their information. Many institutions have created their own bespoke systems to meet their needs. The infoKit highlights many of the emerging trends. For example, the universities featured show there is a particular value of adopting common standards such as CERIF or shared services such as the JISC and HEFCE-funded Research Management and Administrative System, which is modular.
The infoKit seeks to provide a real look at the challenges that researchers and their institutions are going through in terms of their information management. It is expected to evolve as JISC gains additional insight from its projects and the requirements of the REF become clearer.
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