Data stewardship can be defined as the tasks and responsibilities that relate to the management, sharing, and preservation of research data throughout the research lifecycle and beyond.

In mid-July, Ireland’s National Open Research Forum (NORF), FAIRsFAIR and EOSC Synergy delivered a three-day workshop to support the development of data stewardship skills among staff in higher education institutions and other research performing organisations in Ireland. 

The training was targeted at those within institutions who are engaged in providing support and training on research data management (RDM) and FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) data. There were 39 participants from a range of institutions across Ireland. In total, 28 Irish institutions were represented, including universities, institutes of technology or technological universities, government agencies, research funding organisations, and national research infrastructure providers. 

EOSC have now made the training available online https://moodle.learn.eosc-synergy.eu/course/view.php?id=132%20- 

This is an introductory level course targeted at professionals working in research data support roles or individuals with a research background considering a change to a data support role. In this course you will learn the skills and gain knowledge of how to be a successful data steward. Five self-paced modules prepared by a team of international experts will guide you step by step through relevant topics for your daily work. By watching a series of recorded videos and completing practical assignments, you will be up to speed with data stewardship skills to help you guide researchers.