The UG Digital Competence Centre receives an NWO grant to strengthen its services

The University of Groningen's Digital Competence Centre (UG DCC) has recently received great news that a project proposal submitted early last year has been awarded funding by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). This grant will help increase the team's capacity in research software training and hire a community manager to strengthen research data operability at the University of Groningen.

Expanding research software training opportunities

One of the aims of the UG DCC is to support research software management (RSM) to improve the reusability and reproducibility of research software. However, many researchers still lack the necessary programming and open-source software skills to achieve this. With the new funding, the UG DCC will hire a research software trainer to expand its current training program. 

This trainer will develop and deliver courses tailored to the needs of UG researchers, including basic and advanced programming in R and Python, working with environment managers and containers, and using Integrated Development Environments (IDEs). By consulting researchers across disciplines, the program will also introduce field-specific workshops, ensuring that the training effectively meets the diverse needs of the UG research community.

Enhancing research data interoperability

Despite the availability of metadata standards, ontologies, tools and workflows, their integration into research practices lags behind. To address this, the UG DCC will appoint a community manager who will play a pivotal role in increasing awareness and supporting researchers to implement best practices for interoperable data. 

This role involves conducting a university-wide inventory to identify challenges and opportunities, collaborating with researchers and thematic DCC experts, and leading an awareness campaign. By working closely with the UG’s Open Science Programme and leveraging networks such as the Open Science Ambassadors and embedded data stewards, the community manager will ensure that research data at the UG becomes increasingly reusable and reproducible.

Advancing Open Science at the University of Groningen

Together, these efforts mark significant progress toward achieving the UG’s Open Science goals. By strengthening training opportunities and fostering collaboration on research data interoperability, the UG DCC will help researchers produce software and data that align with FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable). The NWO grant not only supports the professional development of UG researchers but also enhances the quality and transparency of research conducted at the university.

If you have questions or would like to be involved, please do not hesitate to contact us!