This indicator assesses the extent to which RDM services and activities align with best practices and standards at local, national and international levels. It considers whether alignment is proactive and coordinated, or reactive to external requirements. The level of maturity reflects the organisation’s capacity to embed and sustain recognised frameworks within its RDM operations. Such capacity ensures alignment with evolving community standards and actively contributes to a harmonisation of data management practices in research environments.
Level 1 – No consideration
- Lack of awareness: Staff and leadership are not familiar with relevant local, national or international best practices and standards.
- Isolated approach: RDM services and activities, where they exist, are developed independently and do not follow established standards or communities consensus on best practices.
- Inconsistent quality: Practices vary across departments or projects, leading to duplication of work and inconsistent RDM approaches.
Impact: RDM efforts remain fragmented and locally focused, limiting adherence to internationally adopted best practices, and alignment with broader research ecosystems.
Level 2 – Some mentioned in strategy
- Developing alignment: Awareness of accepted national and international best practices is growing, though implementation is partial or inconsistent.
- Emerging practices: Individual departments or units experiment with aligning their workflows to accepted standards (e.g., metadata schemas, FAIR principles), driven by motivated individuals or project requirements.
Impact: Early alignment efforts reduce duplication of work in some areas and demonstrate potential benefits. However, overall progress is inconsistent and relies on personal initiative rather than institutional commitment.
Level 3 – Networking and alignment actively pursued
- Networking prioritisation: The organisation recognises the value of aligning with relevant RDM best practices. Resources are allocated towards active participation in knowledge exchange and improvement of local practices.
- Participation in development of international standards: Active engagement in national and international initiatives contributing to the creation or improvement of RDM standards and guidelines.
- Collaborative improvement: Continuous feedback loops established through partnerships and networks to align institutional practices with emerging global developments.
Impact: RDM activities become coherent and increasingly standardised, strengthening interoperability and compliance with external developments. The organisation is seen as a credible and connected element in the broader research data ecosystem.
Contributors
Contributor
Luxembourg Centre of Systems Biomedicine
Contributor
Contributor