2 of 12

Process so far

What?	Who?	When?
Initial discussion of the idea	Marta Teperek at the LCRDM Advisory Group meeting	8 February 2024
Formation of a working group, gathering of background information, preparation of meetings and content	Marta Teperek, Margriet Miedema, Laurents Sesink, Jeroen Rombouts, Willem Jan Knibbe and Ingrid Dillo	February - March 2024
First brainstorming meeting of the working group	Working Group	20 March 2024
Development of the first draft of the proposal based on the feedback from the working group	Marta Teperek, Margriet Miedema, Ingrid Dillo	2 April 2024
Second brainstorming meeting of the working group and feedback on the proposal	Working Group	19 April 2024
Revision of the proposal based on feedback received	Marta Teperek, Margriet Miedema, Ingrid Dillo	23 April 2024
Discussion of the proposal with the LCRDM Advisory Board	LCRDM Advisory Board, Ingrid Dillo	30 April 2024

3 of 12

Background - differences between LCRDM and RDA

RDA is a global organisation (13k+ members)
LCRDM has a local (Dutch) focus (~500 members)

4 of 12

Background - there are a lot of similarities between RDA and LCRDM

Content focus: research data (and related topics e.g. software, hardware…)
Core values: open, inclusive, community-driven, aimed at creating consensus and further harmonisation
Way of working: provision of a neutral, social platform where data experts meet to solve data issues, bottom-up initiatives, working/task groups with limited timeframes and open membership
Composition of the communities: 80% overlap between the Dutch RDA membership and the LCRDM membership. There are over 500 members of RDA coming from the Netherlands, and 25% of all RDA groups have (had) co-chairs from the Netherlands.

5 of 12

Why?

LCRDM has been for years doing what typically a “region of the RDA” is expected to do, but without the formal recognition as region (by the community and by RDA) and without dedicated effort to connect local efforts with global developments.
LCRDM officially becoming the Dutch region of RDA (RDA-NL) ensures that the LCRDM efforts in professionalising data management in the Netherlands are recognised (and become available) globally, that the work of the local communities can be easier aligned with the global efforts, and that local communities can make use of solutions already provided by RDA.
LCRDM and RDA-NL, with a lot of overlap between them, can be easily connected to get and share insights and knowledge.

Otherwise, risk of creating a yet another community, involving almost the same people

6 of 12

Why now?

On 1 Jan 2024 NWO signed a partnership agreement with RDA for three years, which created the RDA-NL: the region of RDA.
NWO did this to recognise the moral responsibility of the Dutch community to sustain RDA (so far the Netherlands made little financial contributions to RDA, while it benefited a lot from the global network) and to highlight the importance of aligning local and global efforts.
The partnership agreement offers an opportunity and a momentum for action.

7 of 12

Minimal practical consequences of LCRDM becoming RDA-NL

A representative of the Dutch community is needed in RDA Regional Assembly meetings (part of RDA governance)
Official presence of LCRDM (RDA-NL) at RDA plenaries
Email addresses and websites can remain the same, but LCRDM needs to be officially acknowledged as the Dutch region of RDA (RDA-NL) in branding materials
LCRDM can use the logo of RDA in its branding materials
Contribution of 35,5k EUR/year (after NWO funding stops)

8 of 12

Risks and risk management

Risk	Risk management
LCRDM will lose its visibility	LCRDM will retain its identity, so also its recognition within the community. LCRDM’s brand might in fact be strengthened.
RDA stops to exist	LCRDM maintains its ways of working, as well as its identity, so should RDA global stop to exist, LCRDM will simply continue its national work.
There won’t be funding for the contribution to RDA global after NWO contract ends	During the three year contract, work will start to identify funding streams for RDA membership (see the action plan) and also to raise awareness within the Netherlands about responsibilities of the Dutch community for sustaining the RDA, as well as the added value of being an active region of RDA.
There won’t be funding for LCRDM	LCRDM is already funded through NWO’s yearly funding for SURF.

9 of 12

Benefits and opportunities

Strengthening of LCRDM’s position through stronger brand.
Global recognition of LCRDM’s effort to professionalise RDM nationally.
Less overlap, fragmentation and duplication of efforts for the Dutch community (easy to get and share insights and knowledge).
Increased awareness nationally about the RDA work, results and community.
Improved connections and collaboration between LCRDM and RDA.
New synergies discovered between national (e.g. organisational open science agendas, OSNL activities) and global research data and open science efforts.
Netherlands can fulfil its moral obligation to sustain the RDA community from which it has been benefitting for years.
Opportunity to further improve our ways of working (e.g. transparent governance) based on best global standards.

10 of 12

Roadmap: Action plan for 3 years

Year 1:

Stakeholder consultation (ongoing)
Introducing LCRDM as the Dutch region of RDA (RDA-NL)

Starting the discussion with the community about the opportunity to look at the governance of LCRDM

Communication plan about the responsibilities for financial sustainability of RDA:

Starting discussions about sustaining RDA-NL
Encouraging organisations to become organisational members of RDA

Two dedicated events for the LCRDM community around the RDA plenary meetings

Year 2:

Development of case studies for closer content collaboration between LCRDM (RDA-NL) and the RDA focusing on interoperability aspects of research data
Identification of additional priority topics (seeking alignment with national open science priorities), identifying possible RDA outputs for adoption in the Dutch context
Two dedicated events for the LCRDM community around the RDA plenary meetings
End of year reflection:

Have any of the risks materialised?
Are any of the benefits and opportunities coming to fruition?
State of financial sustainability discussions

Year 3:

Continuation of the case studies
Two dedicated events for the LCRDM community around the RDA plenary meetings
End of year reflection:

Have any of the risks materialised?
Are any of the benefits and opportunities coming to fruition?

Financial sustainability case discussed and agreed by all key stakeholders
June 2026: decision on continuation of LCRDM as the Dutch region of RDA (RDA-NL)

11 of 12

Communication plan

Positioning LCRDM as the Dutch region of the RDA (RDA-NL) nationally:

Communication with UNL
Press release on behalf of LCRDM Advisory group
Consistent branding: LCRDM website with RDA logo added, with subtitle: LCRDM the Dutch Region of RDA; update on the RDA website
Communication and alignment with the RDNL consortium, around the training and community platform (being developed)
Communication with OSNL covenant parties
Alignment of the priorities and essential components of the community work in open science agendas of all key parties�

Positioning LCRDM as the Dutch region of the RDA (RDA-NL) and internationally

Member of LCRDM to represent the Dutch community in the RDA Regional assembly meetings
Update on the action plan implementation as a standing agenda point at the LCRDM Advisory Board meetings

1 of 12