Supplier Framework

Procurement Lots - Description of RDM Shared Service Components

Lot 1 - Research Data Repositories
A product that can ingest institutions’ research datasets, record, publish and make them discoverable for re-use. The research data repository will provide user interfaces that will include functions for access and authentication, a data ingest form based on the repository metadata schema(s), data publication pages, a discovery (search) function, user workspace areas and an administration area. The repository will store discovery, administrative and preservation metadata. The repository will provide metadata to and harvest metadata from other systems using open standards. The repository will be searchable and make metadata available for published objects. Usability and the user experience is very important to the success of the service, therefore repository solutions will either have to address this within their solution or will work with providers in lot 8 to address these issues. Repository storage for data objects will be provided by Jisc’s current agreements for cloud, local and archival storage or by the institutions.

Lot 2- Repository Interfaces
The development of a range of open source solutions based on open standards that could be described as an extensible API framework of ‘repository plugins’ to enhance the functionality of existing products. These plugins will fulfil a range of functions such as: linking to other publications repositories, exposure of repository metadata and harvesting related metadata from national and international data registries and identifier systems; integrations with ‘active data’ storage platforms to enhance the data ingest process; integration with and incorporation of metadata from data management plans. This lot will also provide plugins to exchange metadata with research information and administration systems that currently use open standards or through interfaces developed in Lot 4.

Lot 3 - Research Data Exchange Interface
Provide solutions using open standards that allow for ingest and export of research data into the repositories outside of the repository web interface. This would allow for automated ingest and export, ingest of large files, batches of files and data migration into and out of the service.

Lot 4 – Research Information and Administration Systems Integrations
This lot is targeted at Research Information and Administration Systems suppliers who would like to modify their systems to provide open interfaces to increase interoperability. This lot will provide open API’s and solutions to enable data and metadata transfer between the Research Data Repository to institutional and external systems such as CRIS systems, institutional HR and Finance and administration systems. Currently many of these systems do not utilise an open standards approach and this lot aims to engage system suppliers to accelerate interoperability with this and other research systems.

Lot 5 -Research Data Preservation Platforms
To provide a platform that enables preservation planning for archived objects to be accessible and usable over time and utilises a suite of tools to undertake actions to enact these plans. These preservation actions should ensure that data remains authentic, reliable and usable while maintaining its integrity. Actions include data cleaning, validation, assigning preservation metadata, assigning representation information and ensuring acceptable data structures or file formats.

Lot 6 – Research Data Preservation tools development
To enhance and develop open source tools and methods that are utilised by preservation platforms for currently unsupported research data objects held and created by researchers. These tools may fulfil functions such as data cleaning, validation, assigning preservation metadata, assigning representation information and ensuring acceptable data structures or file formats. Some of these tools may be based on existing research data preservation and curation practices carried out by researchers within the pilot institutions.

Lot 7 - Research Data Reporting
To provide a solution using open standards to generate reports on an institution’s research data, and across the institutions that use the services. Preferably using a dashboard approach. This will enable research and research data service managers and JSL to view the size, volume, usage, policy compliance and cost. The aim of the reporting tools will be to inform service actions; service performance and management information to meet a range of use cases around research data management.

Lot 8 – User Experience enhancements
To provide enhancements to end user experience for open source products. This could include improving researcher and administrator interactions with open source repository and preservation platforms and could include improving the efficiency and streamlining of processes (e.g. researcher data ingest, administrator approval etc.) and the development of intuitive and attractive user interfaces.