Data Steward

Come join us and deepen your knowledge of data management!

Apply for our inspiring and practical Data Steward training! You get the opportunity to learn from the best experts in the field and network with other data management professionals. Don't miss out - apply now!

Introduction and background for the training

Data stewards are persons who take care of maintaining the quality, integrity and access arrangements of (research) data and metadata in a way that is in accordance with the applicable law and the goals of the organization.

This training is new and unique in its kind as Finland has lacked training aimed at the qualification of experts in the field of data management. The training has been designed and planned with extensive national cooperation. National data management operators and experts in the field have also been involved in the planning phase. 

Data Steward is a general term for numerous people working in various support functions and roles, whose tasks are related to the creation, maintenance and use of research data. The core responsibilities and tasks vary from advising and consulting in different areas of data management, from implementing open science and data management guidelines to technical ICT tasks. These tasks also vary between different universities and research institutes.

By organizing training for data management experts, the development of the field is accelerated, and the quality and effectiveness of R&D activities are strengthened. 

What are Data Stewards needed for?

• When the data is processed appropriately, there is more time to do research and development work. 
  “Students in PhD programmes spend up to 80% of their time on ‘data munging’, fixing formatting and minor mistakes to make data suitable for analysis — wasting time and talent.” - Barend Mons*
• The reuse and further use of data opens up new opportunities for research and development activities. Good data management enables better utilization of data and offers an excellent return compared to the investment invested in it.
• Research organizations, their financiers and political decision-makers must be sure that they can trust that research projects and development projects have sufficient data management skills. 
• Projects with an investment in data management
  • are significantly more cost-effective 
  • enable further use and usability of the results.
• To ensure that researchers across all the disciplines adhere to good research data management practice in their day-to-day work.

The teaching arrangements of the trainingmake it possible to combine work and studies. The training's first module begins with a face-to-face meeting at Tampere University. After that, the teaching takes place online.

The training includes project work, which you can do in connection with your own work tasks or, for example, development projects of your own work organization.

The total duration of the studies is about a year, including project work. There are about four online teaching days per month, and a break in teaching in the summer. The studies consist of online teaching, independent work and peer group work. To complete the training, you should set aside about 10 hours/week. 

Language of the training will be English, however there is a possibility in flexilingual arrangements, i.e. teaching is given in both Finnish and English according to the needs and strengths of the students. We are also arranging study visits to those who are interested in visiting different places that offer and/or use data management services.

Modules

Module 1: Introduction to Research Data Management and Open Science (2 ECTS)

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• Define research data management and understand its importance in the research process and in implementing good scientific practice
• Identify common challenges and best practices in research data management, FAIR principles, and open science practices
• Understand the role of data stewards and other data (+methods) support personnel in research organizations
• Recognise and understand key ethical principles guiding research
• Understand the basic legal aspects in research data management

Leading teacher: Katja Fält, Tampere University

Dates: 

• Monday, 3 March 2025, 9am to 3pm
• Tuesday, 4 March 2025, 9am to 3pm
• Friday, 31 March 2025, 12 noon to 3pm
• Saturday, 22 March 2025, 9am to 3pm

Module 2: Introduction to IT and Data Science (3 ECTS)

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• Explain the fundamental concepts of data science, including data preprocessing, analysis, and visualization
• Identify and utilize appropriate hardware and software for data science tasks, including storage solutions, secure access, and computational resources.
• Learn how to read and run Python and R scripts and understand the importance of reproducibility and the FAIR principles in research software development.
• Familiarize with advanced tools for computational research such as version control, containers, and high-performance computing.

Leading teacher: Enrico Glerean, Aalto University

Dates: 

• Friday, 4 April 2025, 12 noon to 3pm
• Saturday, 5 April 2025, 9am to 3pm
• Friday, 25 April 2025, 12 noon to 3pm
• Saturday, 26 April 2025, 9am to 3pm

Module 3: FAIR Research Data in the Life Cycle (6 ECTS)

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• Recognise the phases of the research data lifecycle.
• Understand the importance of a data management plan (DMP), evaluate a DMP and provide feedback.
• Understand how ethical and legal issues impact data collection and handling. 
• Understand how good documentation supports data reuse.
• Identify appropriate storage and backup solutions.
• Become familiar with open science principles, understand the benefits and risks of data sharing and different levels of openness. 
• Recognise the requirements for long-term preservation of research data.

Leading teachers: Mari Elisa Kuusiniemi, University of Helsinki, Lucie Hradecká, Aalto University

Dates:

• Friday, 9 May 2025, 12 noon to 3pm
• Saturday, 10 May 2025, 9am to 3pm
• Friday, 23 May 2025, 12 noon to 3pm
• Saturday, 24 May 2025, 9am to 3pm
• Friday, 22 August 2025, 12 noon to 3pm
• Saturday, 23 August 2025, 9am to 3pm
• Friday, 5 September 2025, 12 noon to 3pm
• Saturday, 6 September 2025, 9am to 3pm

Module 4: Research Data Management (RDM) Support (2 ECTS)

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• Understand the role of RDM Support Services in different kinds of organizations and the role of data steward in this context
• Identify ways of developing RDM support services in an organization
• Identify different target groups for support services & implement a variety of services suitable for those groups 
• Understand the role of the wider RDM network

Leading teacher: Manna Satama, University of Eastern Finland

Dates:

• Friday, 26 September 2025, 12 noon to 3pm
• Saturday, 27 September 2025, 9am to 3pm

Module 5: Data Stewardship in Practice - Project Work (2 ECTS)

In project work, the students can deepen the things learned during the modules and apply that in their own research and working life. The project work starts immediately during the first module, and time is reserved for its completion at the end of the training. Students receive guidance on doing project work.

Dates:

• Friday, 10 October 2025, 12 noon to 3pm

Target group

The primary target group for this training is doctoral researchers. The training is also suitable for those who have already completed their thesis and/or who have already done some expert work in data management.

The basic education requirement is a higher university degree.