RDM Kwanza

In the context of a VLIR-UOS International Training Programme, Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology and Ardhi University (Tanzania), Mbarara University of Science and Technology and Makerere University (Uganda) and UHasselt (Belgium) are organizing an intensive training course on the topic of Research Data Management (RDM) with the support of two South African universities: University of the Witwatersrand and University of South Africa.

The course will start in February 2025 for a period of 18 months, partly online and partly during on-site workshops. In total there will be nearly 20 online sessions (2hrs each session), 3 workshops of a week each. The students will also receive tasks to work out in their institute. Therefore the coordinators require full support of the institutes of the participants.

Out of the candidates, 16 persons will be selected for the RDM officer course according to the required criteria and taking into account a gender balance of at least 60/40 male and female participants. Similarly, the project reserves 4 places for the 4 East African partner universities that have to fulfill the same criteria.

Research Data Management (RDM) refers to the way research data are managed throughout a research project: where do you store your data, how do you secure them, how do you analyze them, how do you document and organize them, etc. It also includes archiving your scientifically valuable data in a sustainable way after the research project is finished, and preferably making them available to the public. The best way of managing your data is making your data FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable). (Taken from https://www.uhasselt.be/rdm)

The course aims to introduce participants to the Research Data Management (RDM) principles and practices. At the end of the training, the participants should:

• Understand the importance of RDM
• Develop Data Management Plan (DMP)
• Comprehend the roles and skills for RDM
• Provide information on best practices of RDM tools and techniques
• Undertake data sharing, support privacy and ethics
• Engage in a network of RDM stewards and advocates

The candidates should be employed in institutions of higher learning in Tanzania or Uganda. They need to be active in the domains of research data management, institutional repositories, library or  information management.

The required criteria are:

• Academic level: minimum bachelor degree in Library and Information Science or related field. The applicant with relevant Masters or PhD Degree will have an added advantage.
• Domains of knowledge and experience: library and information management, research management, data archiving, repository management and ICT-Library systems
• Professional expertise: university library, research office, research center management, working or going to work in such an environment
• Soft skills: communication skills, presentation skills, knowledge of Office packages, digital literacy
• The candidate has a formal letter of support from the institution that (s)he is involved in stating
  • The letter should be on a signed letter head
  • A pledge to provide resources like a computer with internet, time to attend online lectures and time to travel for project activities
  • Example of the support letter
• Age requirement at the time of application: 45 years or younger
• Applicant to submit a motivation statement of not more than 250 words stating how the applicant and her/her institution is going to benefit from their participation in the course
• Preference will be on working in a public university or government research institutions.

• 8 from institutions of higher learning in Tanzania (including 2 participants of the organizing universities)
• 8 from institutions of higher learning in Uganda (including 2 participants of the organizing universities)

1. The call will be opened on November 12.
2. The call will be closed on December 4.
3. A first selection of max. 24 candidates will be made by the selection committee based on the online application form to measure the  knowledge on RDM and motivation
4. Announcement of the first selection on December 13.
5. They will be invited for a virtual meeting with the selection committee between December 17 and December 20.The interview with selected candidates will go deeper in their skills, knowledge and motivation.
6. The final selection of 8 persons from Tanzanian institutes and 8 persons of Ugandan institutes will be announced on January 3.

The selection will  be made by the project steering committee of team members of the project.

To find out if the course is something for you, try the self-assessment test

Application form: You need to login with a gmail account.

If you have any questions, contact us at: RDMKwanza@uhasselt.be