RDA/US Sustainability White Paper February 2016

Transcription

1 Nte t the RDA/US Cmmunity: RDA/US Sustainability White Paper February 2016 This White Paper is a first step in trying t create (and subsequently implement) a sustainable mdel t supprt the RDA/US Cmmunity pst-2018 (when the NSF RDA/US rganizatinal grant will cmplete). Ideas in this White Paper arse frm preliminary discussins by Larry Lannm, Bb Hanisch, Rebecca Kskela, Mark Parsns, Fran Berman and thers. The ideas herein are intended t kick-ff a brader cmmunity discussin. As a start, this White Paper presents a ptential ptin fr RDA/US 2.0 (pst-2018) based n a successful mdel currently used t sustain several cmmunity rganizatins. We are bth sliciting cmments n this mdel as well thughts n ther mdels and ideas fr sustaining RDA/US. Please share yur cmments and ideas n the White Paper Wiki n the RDA/US website (we will send the URL in a few days). We hpe t use the evlving discussin ver the next few mnths t identify key sustainability appraches s that we can fcus n implementatin challenges and issues fr cnsensus ptins at and after the 2016 RDA/US Leadership Meeting. In this White Paper, we have als tried t articulate the value prpsitin fr RDA and RDA/US. We welcme cmments and mdificatins n this as well. Thanks very much fr yur engagement! I. INTRODUCTION (Value Prpsitin) RDA The Research Data Alliance (RDA) is an internatinal cmmunity-driven vlunteer rganizatin whse membership bradly spans the data cmmunity. The Research Data Alliance (RDA) builds the scial and technical bridges that enable pen sharing f data. [RDA Missin Statement] The RDA visin is researchers and innvatrs penly sharing data acrss technlgies, disciplines, and cuntries t address the grand challenges f sciety. [RDA Visin Statement] The abve statements summarize the high-level gals f the RDA. These gals clearly resnate with the research cmmunity, as reflected by participatin in RDA f individual members frm 104 cuntries (February 2016). Key t the achievement f the missin and visin f RDA is its rganizatinal sustainability and key t RDA s rganizatinal sustainability is the value prpsitin that RDA accelerates innvatin by driving the cmmunity creatin and adptin f infrastructure needed t make pen access data discverable, accessible, and useful.

2 Benefits Prvided by RDA Perhaps the mst immediate benefit f participatin in RDA is learning frm thers in the field f data management independent f the area f research abut successful and sustainable practices. Success in this cntext is nt simply running a data repsitry, but seeing a repsitry r assciated data services taken up by a research cmmunity and enabling research that wuld therwise nt be feasible. Sustainability f such infrastructure is a huge challenge. We nw see mandates fr pen access t the data prduced by gvernment-funded research prjects, but little r n cmmitment t a data management infrastructure that wuld supprt data preservatin, curatin, and access. Thrugh RDA we can learn frm each ther abut appraches t lng-term data management that are financially sund, yet maximize availability and re-use f data. RDA brings tgether experts in data frm diverse research areas. Thrugh RDA Wrking Grups these experts cllabrate n slving prblems f cmmn interest. RDA encurages rganizatins t adpt its Recmmendatins, thereby prviding efficiencies and cst savings t rganizatins that might therwise develp unnecessarily duplicative r less effective technlgies fr data sharing. RDA als unites cmmunities n an internatinal basis that might therwise nt be in discussin abut cmmn data sharing challenges. RDA Interest Grups prvide the frum fr dmain-based cmmunicatin and cllabratin (fr example, Agriculture, Bidiversity, Histry and Ethngraphy, Health, Marine Data, Metablmics, Materials Science, Phtn/Neutrn Science, Structural Bilgy, and Urban Life). These cmmunities use RDA as a platfrm fr launching glbal initiatives in data discvery and access that might nt therwise ccur. RDA is nw f sufficient size and visibility that it als serves as an internatinal platfrm fr building awareness f data management challenges and benefits, prviding infrmatin that can be used effectively t prmte and influence natinal and internatinal plicies and funding fr data. Imprtantly, RDA is nt a place t prmte specific technlgies but rather prvides a neutral space t gather and disseminate internatinally vetted infrmatin. Reginal RDAs RDA members in varius regins f the wrld (e.g. RDA/US, RDA/Eurpe, RDA/Australia, RDA/Japan) have frmed lcal cmmunities that seek t maximize the benefit f RDA in their regin. These reginal RDAs play an imprtant rle in RDA as they prvide a push by bringing reginal effrts and issues int RDA, and a pull by instantiating RDA effrts int reginal prjects, initiatives, rganizatins, and cmmunities. Organizatinally, RDA regins prvide a venue fr in-kind in-regin financial and rganizatinal supprt as many natinal funding agencies and nn-prfits cannt send resurces ut f cuntry. 2

3 Benefits Prvided by RDA/US RDA/US is cmpsed f all U.S. members f RDA. Currently there are mre than 1100 RDA/US members frm almst every U.S. state and all sectrs. Acrss a brad range f interests and prfessins, RDA/US members see RDA as an asset in creating an expanded glbal netwrk t help vet and imprve their wrk. U.S. researchers use RDA t accelerate the develpment and use f infrastructure needed t drive discvery as well as a vehicle fr engaging with a brad, diverse, and internatinal set f dmains and stakehlders. RDA engagement is valuable enugh that RDA/US members are highly active in the leadership f the rganizatin, serving n RDA s Technical Advisry Bard, Organizatinal Advisry Bard, Cuncil, and as chairs and c-chairs f many RDA Wrking Grups and Interest Grups. In additin, RDA/US serves as a vehicle fr U.S. reginal supprt fr RDA, prviding cre funding fr U.S. hsted RDA Plenaries, participant supprt csts fr RDA/US members t attend freign Plenaries, in-kind staff supprt fr the Glbal RDA Secretariat, partial funding fr RDA s Secretary General, and funding fr a small staff t supprt RDA/US. RDA/US is needed as a vehicle t facilitate U.S. participatin in the Glbal RDA, as a vehicle fr deplying RDA-develped infrastructure in U.S. prjects and rganizatins, and as a fcus in the U.S. fr data-driven effrts. Current funding fr the RDA/US rganizatin will end in It is nw urgent t cnsider what RDA/US functins are essential t cntinue and hw t sustain them. Nte that, financially, RDA/US and RDA are c-dependent. If RDA has a strng financial basis, it can supprt its Secretary General, Secretariat, Plenaries, etc. This means that RDA/US and ther RDA regins wuld nt need t prvide supprt fr these things and culd be mre lightweight. In the absence f a strng financial basis fr RDA, RDA/US and ther reginal RDAs will need a strnger financial basis s they can cntribute funding r in-kind supprt as needed t help supprt RDA. RDA s leadership Cuncil is fcusing increasing effrt n sustainability and financial supprt fr RDA, hwever it will likely be sme time befre RDA regins d nt need t prvide substantial supprt fr the internatinal rganizatin. Therefre, we fcus n the develpment f a financially strng RDA/US 2.0 rganizatin (left figure) in this White Paper. Strng Reginal RDA s Lightweight Glbal RDA Current(left): Financially strng reginal RDAs (and in particular, RDA/US) help supprt a lightweight Glbal RDA Alternative (right): Lightweight reginal RDAs (including RDA/US) supprted by a financially strng Glbal RDA Lightweight Reginal RDAs Strng Glbal RDA 3

4 2. SUSTAINING RDA/US The gal f this White Paper is t prvide initial thughts n what a financially stable and strng RDA/US RDA/US might lk like and hw it can be evlved, funded, and sustained. A useful mdel fr RDA/US 2.0 is a mdel used successfully in prfessinal scieties like ACM and IEEE and als in cmmunity rganizatins such as ESIP. These rganizatins have stable staffing levels, elected cmmunity leadership, and sustainable business mdels. Leadership f the rganizatin becmes a partnership between elected cmmunity members and executive leadership f the prfessinal staff. We explre this as a pssible mdel belw. Cre functins needed in RDA/US 2.0 fr this scenari shuld include Leadership & Crdinatin: Management f prgram resurces, assessment f pririties, cmmitment t the effrt, rganizatin and versight f distributed activities, reprts t funders. Cmmunicatin & Cmmunity Engagement: Infrmatin disseminatin (website), newsletters, participatin in meetings, wrkshps, and cnferences, supprting adpters f RDA utcmes/recmmendatins. Advcacy: Sharing the ratinale fr RDA with funders and plicy makers, fstering and supprting strategic expansin f the RDA/US cmmunity. Hsting f RDA U.S. Plenaries (bi-annual): lgistics management, cntracting fr meeting planning services, cre supprt as needed. Supprt fr RDA: Apprpriate in-regin in-kind supprt fr the internatinal RDA rganizatin n par with the level f supprt f ther regins. Pssible staffing fr RDA/US 2.0 that supprts this functinality is belw. Depending n the number f peple, the level f supprt, and the additin f ther key budget drivers (e.g. participant csts fr U.S. RDA leaders t attend freign plenaries, partial, supprt fr the RDA Secretary General, supprt fr RDA/US pilts), we expect mst budget scenaris t cme in between $500K and $1M annually. Nte that currently, supprt fr the Glbal RDA Secretary General is aggregated frm RDA reginal supprt including supprt frm RDA/US. CORE RDA/US STAFF TEAM RDA/US Executive Directr full-time staff, respnsible fr leadership, crdinatin and administrative and business peratins f RDA/US RDA/US Directr f Cmmunicatins and Cmmunity Develpment full-time staff, respnsible fr develpment, chesiveness, utreach, and expansin f RDA/US cmmunity 4

5 U.S. RDA Secretariat Member full-time staff assigned t RDA Secretariat frm U.S. in supprt f RDA glbal activities such as plenary meeting planning, Wrking Grup and Interest Grup crdinatin, RDA cmmunicatins, and RDA gvernance activities RDA/US Business Manager staff supprt fr budgeting, travel, participant supprt, all things financial RDA/US Administrative Crdinatr administrative supprt fr RDA/US CORE RDA/US COMMUNITY TEAM RDA/US Chair advcate fr and represent RDA/US within RDA and U.S. cmmunity, elected by RDA/US cmmunity, unpaid Other elected cmmunity leadership? RDA/US Steering Cmmittee / Bard f Directrs /?? (unpaid) leadership grup whse respnsibilities include versight f RDA/US Executive Directr, fiscal health f RDA/US rganizatin, etc. Getting t a Plan In rder t develp a useful straw mdel fr RDA/US 2.0 and ultimately a plan fr implementatin and funding, it is useful t cme t agreement n the fundamentals. Sme questins that we need t address are belw. What kind f rganizatin is RDA/US? Independent 501(c)(3) established as a crpratin r limited liability cmpany? Organizatin frmally affiliated with anther rganizatin, institutin r agency? Hw d varius rles crdinate and hw are respnsibilities distributed (e.g. RDA/US Chair and leadership, RDA/US grant PIs, RDA/US Executive Directr, RDA/US Steering Cmmittee / Bard /??, etc.) Hw des RDA/US supprt U.S. RDA-related effrts? What kind f supprt and services shuld RDA/US prvide t prmte U.S. effrts? Shuld there be a tax n RDA/US grants t help supprt the RDA/US prfessinal staff / rganizatinal ffice? If s, hw much is reasnable and hw t enfrce? What kind f supprt and services shuld RDA/US prvide t RDA? Hw des RDA/US decide what activities and initiatives t d / participate in? Hw much funding is needed fr RDA/US? What is necessary and what is ptinal? What are the ptins fr assigning multiple functins t peple? What is the annual cst fr varius scenaris? 5

6 What are ptential sustainable business mdels fr RDA/US? What d we need t d t secure funding pst-2018? What can we apprpriately leverage as in-kind supprt? Hw can we leverage / cmbine varius funding vehicles t sustainably supprt RDA/US in a way that des nt cnflict with funding fr RDA? Nte that in the apprach herein t RDA/US sustainability, the initial NSF grant is seen as start-up funding t a university ptentially fllwed by the creatin f an independent nn-prfit rganizatin created as a legal and financial hme fr RDA/US. Oversight and verall strategic directin wuld be prvided by a Bard f Directrs, Steering Cmmittee, r ther respnsible grup (depending n the mdel) including a rtating Chair, all f whm wuld be drawn frm the RDA/US membership fr a specified term. A small paid permanent prfessinal staff wuld be respnsible fr administrative tasks, managing U.S.-based Plenaries, utreach activities, fundraising, and supprting Glbal RDA as apprpriate. One mdel fr thse psitins is given abve. These psitins wuld be staffed ut t emplyees f the RDA/US rganizatin, as determined by the Bard / Steering Cmmittee. Legal and financial cunsel wuld be retained as needed. This White Paper prvides a place t start. T ultimately determine and begin t develp a viable rganizatinal mdel fr RDA/US 2.0, we seek input frm ur expert/experienced cmmunity n a specific set f questins: 1. Is this the right mdel, yes r n? If nt, please briefly prpse a better alternative. 2. Are the permanent prfessinal staff psitins utlined abve (3 full-time plus sme supprt staff, s smewhere arund 4 FTE) sufficient and are they the crrect psitins? 3. Is the $500K 1M estimated budget range in the ballpark? (Nte that the larger part f the range includes funding fr Plenary hsting, Participant Supprt, pssibly pilts, etc.). 4. Which f the fllwing incme surces seem feasible? (Nte that we are assuming a mix will be required and we are assuming that we are nt in cmpetitin with Glbal RDA, i.e., mre expensive Plenaries r higher rganizatinal membership fees wuld g t Glbal RDA. In all cases funds t Glbal RDA culd be shared ut t the lcals, but this seems unlikely at the mment.) 4a. An nging series f verlapping grants t RDA/US. Which gvernment agencies and/r fundatins? 4b. A tax n prpsals that require an RDA endrsement, either directly t RDA/US r as a shared arrangement with Glbal RDA. 4c. Crprate supprt, in exchange fr prminent thanks. 6

7 4d. What else? 5. Finally, are we crrect in assuming that Glbal RDA will be supprted by the reginal RDAs as ppsed t the reverse? 7