USI hosts successful on-campus Advanced Skills for Research Data Management and Open Science in Social Sciences course

The first edition of the Advanced Skills for Research Data Management and Open Science in Social Sciences course recently concluded at Università della Svizzera italiana. This intensive week-long program, designed specifically for social sciences researchers, attracted 20 participants from a wide range of institutions, including USI, other Swiss universities, international universities and public organisations from Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa and Panama.

The course, made possible by the generous support of swissuniversities, offered a comprehensive program combining theoretical aspects and practical activities. Participants were guided through the entire life cycle of research data, with a focus on developing dynamic data management plans. By bringing their own data or research ideas, participants were able to directly apply the concepts and techniques learned to their specific projects.

“The course provided an opportunity to touch on increasingly relevant topics in the research world, such as reproducibility of results and adoption of Open Research Data practices, and to delve into the practical aspects of day-to-day data management,” said Dr. Agata Lambrechts, project coordinator and course instructor. “By focusing on real-world examples and hands-on exercises, we were able to provide participants with the skills needed to conduct rigorous, and transparent, data-conscious research throughout the data management process,” added Dr. Igor Sarman, USI Research Data Manager and course instructor.

The course faculty, comprised of experts from USI, FORS and the University of Lausanne, provided in-depth instruction on a range of topics, including planning for data management and organisation, data cleaning, anonymisation and curation in the external sharing phase, security aspects during data transfer, storage and access, as well as ethical and legal considerations aimed at protecting individuals.

By equipping researchers with these essential skills, the course aims to promote a culture of Open Science and data-driven research, ultimately leading to greater dissemination of scientific knowledge and more reliable research results.

Future editions of the RDM@SSM course open to registrations by USI and external participants will be advertised on the dedicated webpages.