Case Study: University of Canberra

Building an integrated
research data management
framework around Pure

Research Intelligence

PureYour brilliance, organized for action
Make confident program decisions, streamline funding analysis andforge new partnerships with complete, correct, current and connected
information around research activities.

Dr. Anesh NairManager, Research Ethics, Integrity, and eResearch,
University of Canberra“We wanted researchers to be able to manage project data
through its lifecycle seamlessly. From planning and collection
to storage and analysis, and publication to archival ordisposal. This led to us embarking on an ambitious project
to integrate three enterprise systems used at the University– Pure (Grants Management), ReDBox (research data
management planning), and Infonetica (ethics). The end-toend and streamlined research data management process
enabled by the integration helps us adopt best practices
for data management and creates a safe and secure data
environment for all research stakeholders.”
Executive Summary
The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research,which came into effect in 2019, lays down principles that
underpin responsible research including how data is stored,accessed, and shared. But, more importantly, for the Universityof Canberra and other universities, the code places the primary
onus of compliance on institutions and individual researchers.
In response, the university undertook the research data
management framework (RDMF) project in 2020.
The RDMF project envisages a seamless workflow throughout
the research lifecycle, from grant award to research publication,by integrating the various technology platforms used at theuniversity. In this case study, Dr. Anesh Nair, Manager, Research
Ethics, Integrity, and eResearch at the University of Canberra,
shares his vision of using technology to address the challengesof responsible research along with how they are using various
Elsevier solutions and integration services to connect systems
and platforms from multiple vendors to deliver a user-friendly

experience for researchers and administrators.

University of Canberra: A young institution focused on
research
The University of Canberra is a young and fast-emerging
institution for academic and research excellence. Based in theheart of Australia’s capital city, the university is home to nearly
10,000 students. They have taken rapid strides up the ranking
charts in recent years and ranked 16th in the world and 2nd inAustralia as per the 2021 edition of the Times Higher Education(THE) Young University Rankings.
Research at the university goes beyond academia to create
solutions for real-world challenges through innovative researchand applications. The university’s efforts are focused on anumber of high-impact areas that include climate change, life
sciences, STEM, and governance. Another aspect of research at
the University of Canberra is its commitment to an inclusive,collaborative, and global approach. The university regularly

2engages with other academic institutions, government agencies,industry and businesses, and organizations from across the world.

Transitioning to the new era of responsible research
In recent years, we have witnessed an increased focus on
responsible research at universities and educational institutions,particularly around issues of ethics, integrity, storage, and accessto data. In line with this, Australia’s National Health and Medical
Research Council and the Australian Research Council developed
the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research(2018).
The code, which came into force in 2019, promotes responsible
and ethical research, lays down principles, recommends
guidelines, and establishes a framework for conducting research.
But more importantly, the code places the primary onus ofadherence on institutions and individual researchers, marking
a significant shift in how Australian universities and academic
institutions manage their research and data.
Planning a research investigation is a complex process that
includes multiple critical elements relating to data. This spansfrom collection methodology to validation techniques andsecure storage to maintaining data for future reference, audits,and other uses.

Taking stock of research workflow, systems, andprocesses
In response, the University of Canberra conducted a need-gap
analysis of tools and practices used by researchers. The study
revealed the need for standardization and best practices forvarious phases, aspects and tasks of a research project. Some of
the key findings include:• Lack of standardization: Various departments and faculty
members followed their own approach to research anddata, which flowed down to their students and researchers.

Dr. Kyle HemmingeResearch Analyst, Intersect“In all my engagements with researchers and related
academic staff during the rollout of this project, one
thing that stood out was the relative lack of awarenessabout responsibilities and risks pertaining to researchdata. It can also be a laborious process, and for timepoor researchers, it is often seen as an additional
administrative burden.”3

“Having access to a structured,compliant, secure data frameworkoffering several templated solutions
defined by methodology can be very
useful and reassuring for researchers.
Moreover, storing the data withthe university (as against individualresearchers) ensures safety andcompliance with regulatory norms.
The new framework provides ahelpful structure that was missing
earlier and will go a long way inhelping researchers and improving
research integrity.”– Hugh Mason
PhD Student, Faculty of Business, Government & Law,
University of Canberra

For instance, a particular department did well in capturing
research output, and another department did not. And despite
being part of the same institution, there was little sharing ofbest practices and knowledge.
• Need to improve data storage: The study found that researchdata storage practices varied making it difficult for theuniversity to trace the provenance of data and track intellectual
property (IP) created. Additionally, grant and funding providers
have mandated structured and approved research data
management plan (RDMP), so the issue of data storage needs
to be addressed.
• Paper-based processes were in use: Many processes involved
during the research lifecycle were paper-based, thus making
the task laborious and ineffective. For example, researchers
needed to fill out an MS Word document to submit theirRDMP, which made the process cumbersome for researchers,
faculty members, and administrators.
• Multiple tools operating in silos: The university usednumerous digital tools and platforms across the research
lifecycle. These are from different vendors, and despite being
connected in the overall workflow, the platforms operate insilos making it complex and repetitive for users. From theuniversity’s perspective, the absence of a single source oftruth prevented them from making the most of the research
conducted across the institution.

Prof. Charles Lemckert
Honorary Appointment, Faculty of Arts & Design,
University of Canberra“Enabling users to develop a data management planat the initiation of any project ensures that the data
is appropriately located and stored as per regulatory
standards. The deployment of Pure and the integration
with various related systems seem well suited for thepurpose.”

4Designing an integrated research data management
framework
An outcome of the research workflow analysis is the researchdata management framework that the University of Canberracommenced in 2020. The project, done in partnership withIntegration Delivery Services team from Elsevier, envisages aseamless workflow for users and stakeholders involved with theintegration between the major platforms they currently use:
• Pure is a world leader in Research Information Management
Systems (Current Research Information Systems) that brings
research information into a single, versatile and secure
platform.
• Data Monitor helps universities and institutions track andanalyze missing datasets stored across thousands of researchdata repositories.

Pure offers deep integration capabilities, it could also serve asa core to connect other systems and platforms to automate
various processes for researchers throughout the researchproject.

• Digital Commons Data is a research data repository thathelps researchers, administrators, and data curators to store,manage, curate, share and preserve data.

The following architectural view of the integrated workflow
outlines specific points of connection between platforms
mapped to critical events throughout a research project lifecycle.

• ReDBox by Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation(QCIF) helps universities collect information and metadata
about research projects across the institution.

The integrated workflow architecture with Pure at the core• Grant award to RDMP: A research project commences when
the Research Office awards a grant and the participants arenotified in Pure. At the same time, an RDMP workflow iscreated in ReDBox with pre-filled metadata extracted fromPure, including project title, description, funding information,
researcher and project participant details. This allows
researchers to get on with the RDMP without spending time
duplicating information that already exists in the system. Once
the RDMP is approved, a project ID is created in Pure.

As part of the plan, the integration began with Pure, which theuniversity was already using for grants management. And since• Grant award and ethics: The awarding of a grant in Pure
triggers the creation of a workflow in Infonetica if ethical• Infonetica is software that automates and streamlines
processes related to research ethics throughout the project
lifecycle.

The integrated workflow: holistic view
Approve Awards

Pure

Research Office

Query grants/milestones

Researchers
For DCD USERS:
Create a project space
notify researchers(RIMS/CRIS System)

Automatically create data
management plan

Automatically create relevant
ethics application

Datasets
pickup up by
DM and sent
to PurePublish/approve datasets

PI/eResearch

5With this integration, our objective is
to streamline the various processes
through the research lifecycle andminimize administrative tasks from theresearchers’ perspective. This would
allow researchers to focus on the core
aspects of conducting their research
while also helping them mitigate
potential risks and adopt more robust
research practices.
– Dr Kyle Hemming
considerations are involved in the project. This includes theparticipation of humans or animals in research, working
on genetics, DNA, or diseases and other fields that handle
sensitive data and require regulatory oversight or restricted
access. The project is greenlit in Pure once mandated
authorities sign off on ethical approvals.
• Grant award to project record creation: Following RDMP
and ethical approvals, a project record is created in Pure, andonce again, all the metadata gets transcribed into the project
record, which then becomes a single point of reference for all
information and data related to the project.
• Project record to workspace and active dataset: The creation ofa project record in Pure triggers the formation of a dedicatedworkspace in Digital Commons Data. At the same time,authorized participants are notified, invited to collaborate,
and given access to data based on their roles. Participants canalso refer to their approved RDMP within the same workspace

to ensure compliance with data storage and related bestpractices.
• Draft to dataset curation: As project members finish theirresearch and share a draft for publication, a curation
workflow is initiated in Digital Commons Data. In this stage,moderators look at the data for adherence to FAIR Data
Principles (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable)
and other sensitivities involved in publishing the research. Theplatform also facilitates comments, revisions, and iterations
until final approval is received.
• Curation to publication: The final approval for the dataset
triggers the creation of a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) andpublication in the institutional data repository according to
the visibility criteria and restrictions. At the same time, theresearch gets added to the Data Monitor index, making it
available to the research community around the world.
• Publication to showcase and reporting: The final step of theprocess takes place where it began, in Pure. Following thepublication of a dataset, Pure imports it from Data Monitor
and automatically links it to related profiles and publications.
Additionally, with Pure as the central repository for all researchand related information, universities and institutions can use
it for mandatory reporting and to engage with stakeholders,
funders, potential partners and prospective researchers toshowcase the university’s research prowess.

Impact of the project on the research function• Enabling researchers: This project has resulted in the creationof an end-to-end and streamlined research data management
process for all researchers at the University of Canberra. It hasenabled the university to meet its requirements for providing
users with the means to create high-quality data management
plans for their research projects.

6• Enhancing data governance: In addition to the functioningof the enterprise system, the pre-launch roadshow forfaculty members enabled the university to communicate its
expectations and the responsibilities of researchers. Relevant
training modules and related pages on the new eResearchportal allowed the university to reiterate the messaging of theneed for robust data governance.
• Infusing effectiveness and efficiency in the process:Integrating the systems to deliver a seamless experience hashelped reduce administrative burden for researchers. It hashelped make the research data management process moreaccessible and has whetted the appetite for similar initiatives
in the future, including the integration of Pure and Infonetica.

Learnings from the project for the research function
Projects where disparate systems need to be integrated comewith a fair share of challenges, ranging from engaging with usersand internal stakeholders to design a suitable framework todealing with vendors and solution providers to realize the vision
into a platform that delivers value for researchers. Having led
this multi-faceted integration at the University of Canberra, Dr.
Anesh Nair shares learnings from the project:• Keep it simple and focus on the big picture: When you areconnecting multiple systems, complicating matters canmake it seem like a daunting task. Keeping it simple andunderlining the essential connections that need to be madeacross systems makes the project manageable. Once thoseconnections are established, we can tweak and add features
later. This also helps the project take off without weighing it
down with minute details right at the start.
• Working for the project, not the client: We often come acrossvendors who are content to tick off the boxes and get donewith a project. However, in a project with multiple moving
parts, it is essential to have a partner and a collaborator willingto think out of the box to deliver a project as envisioned.
• Working with multiple vendors has a learning curve: This isperhaps the most underrated aspect of project management
in today’s globalized world and work environment. Companies
from different parts of the world have different cultures andworking styles, and differences in time zones and language
also add to the complexity of a project. Thus, all involved
parties must invest time and energy in understanding
each other and establish a mutually understood working
relationship right at the beginning.
• Some shortfalls may be inevitable: While planning an
integration of this nature and scale, we always strive to perfectthe system before going live. However, some shortfalls may
be inevitable. For example, we realized during testing that all
metadata did not flow through as expected. This was mainly
due to gaps in data at the source, which was another university
enterprise system. And the data shortcomings got replicatedthrough Pure and the rest of the integrated systems. To
address this, the team worked towards developing prompt
workarounds and manual interventions, which ensured thatthe final integration outputs were as desired when the systemwent live.
• Tailoring the message to maximize uptake: After going livewith the integration, it was important that we got the message
out to researchers, as well. So, as we rolled out a roadshow, wediscovered that it was crucial for us to tailor the messaging forvarious faculties and users. For instance, some preferred an
all-inclusive talk about research data management followed
by a demonstration on how to use ReDBox and informationon the integration itself. Others preferred these sessions to bedivided into bite-sized chunks. By working closely with eachindividual faculty, we were able to customize our outreach
which resulted in a high turnout for our outreach sessions anda deeper engagement with users.

7PureThe world’s leading research information management system that enables evidence-based
decisions, simplifies research administration and optimizes impact, reporting, and compliance.

Data Monitor

Data Monitor puts institutions in the driving seat of their Research Data Management journey byproviding visibility on their institution’s entire research data output.

Digital Commons Data

Digital Commons Data is a secure and trusted generalist repository to publish datasets following
the FAIR principles of findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability.

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September 2022