ZonMw-funded project will professionalise the FAIR Data Steward role in the life sciences

ZonMw has announced that it will fund a project entitled ‘Towards FAIR Data Steward as a profession in the Life Sciences’. The project proposal was submitted by DTL’s Celia van Gelder and UMCG’s Salome Scholtens.

Scholtens explains: “The overall aim of this project is to professionalise the data steward function within the life sciences domain. The role of data stewards is so new that even the people that have this job are still figuring out what it all entails. We will work towards a common job description and an agreement on the knowledge, skills, and competencies of a data steward that is broadly supported within the Dutch life sciences community. The FAIR data principles will be the starting point in this project.”

“We will translate the required knowledge, skills, and competencies into concrete learning objectives. In turn, these will be used to develop an education line and training materials for data stewards, including a design for an eLearning module. We will ensure the sustainable implementation and alignment with existing education efforts,” says Scholtens. The one-year project will be executed by a core team consisting of people from DTL, RadboudUMC, UMCU, and UMCG, in close collaboration with a consultation committee consisting of representatives of the main stakeholders in the domain.

Further Reading
• About the DTL Learning Programme, managed by Celia van Gelder
• Interview with Salome Scholtens: ‘Data stewardship desk in Groningen

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