Open data about research management: a landscape review

Jisc has been asked by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology to lead the implementation of the digital and data recommendations of the independent review of research bureaucracy.

As part of this work, we have developed a landscape review of open data in research management and administration in the UK in collaboration with Research Consulting, in association with SIRIS Academic. The review aims to enhance understanding of open data's potential to improve research management and support efficient and innovative use of data, in line with government and UKRI recommendations.

Key findings include:

• Establishing a foundational step towards shared efficiencies and simplified approaches to managing research in the UK - reducing bureaucracy, removing unnecessary complexity and technical debt, lowering costs
• Collaborative efforts coordinated by Jisc, BRRIN includes representation from all UK nations and aims to enhance the research management ecosystem with efficient, sustainable, low-bureaucracy solutions
• The importance of an audit of open data which could reveal further value, highlighting significant opportunities to leverage open data for research management
• The suggestion to adopt common data standards to support APIs that can lead to a more integrated and streamlined system
• The opportunity to use existing open data infrastructure and policies from across the public sector offers immediate opportunities for improvement