RDA and CEDIA join forces to support global research data management and open science

The Research Data Alliance (RDA) and the Ecuadorian Corporation for the Development of Research and Academia (CEDIA) signed an agreement to form a regional association, intended to further represent the practices and interests of the Ecuadorian research community and at the same time facilitate the regional adoption of RDA standards and practices through the organization and implementation of various initiatives and activities.

The regions become RDA regions by negotiating a formal association agreement. An RDA Region is defined as a “national level” geographical entity or a consortium of “national level entities”. Regional partnerships are critical to RDA as they provide the essential connection to the regional community, helping us understand and support the needs of local data professionals, as well as ensuring greater multilingualism across the global community.

Through this partnership, CEDIA will coordinate RDA and awareness efforts in Ecuador, and specifically:

• Promote events and training on best practices in research data management, open science for Ecuador.
• Promote local adoption of RDA recommendations in Ecuador.
• Promote the participation of Ecuadorian researchers in RDA working groups.
• Participate in training activities promoted by RDA and integration of RDA communities.
• Promote training in research data management, strategic data management plan, open science for researchers in Ecuador.
• Promote the use of CEDIA platforms and tools that aim to contribute to the open science ecosystem for research, such as RRAAE and REDI.

For CEDIA, “this new regional partnership with RDA gives the Ecuadorian research and education network the opportunity to further support the international presence and encourage, promote and coordinate the development of scientific research.”

Furthermore, by acting as a Node of the Research Data Alliance of Ecuador (RDA-EC), the specific objectives to be met are:

• Generate interest among researchers about the need and importance of adequate data management and governance in research.
• Promote the dissemination of RDA events in Ecuador, mainly those aimed at researchers.
• Participation in RDA training workshops held at its programs and events.
• Promote training in research data management, open data and open science for researchers.
• Generate innovation spaces through forums in which researchers can discuss and exchange information about their research projects.

For her part, Hilary Hanahoe, Secretary General of the Research Data Alliance, stated that "this historic agreement is another step on the path to achieving a truly inclusive and global RDA community. CEDIA will be fundamental to raise awareness about RDA in Ecuador, but also to highlight Ecuadorian excellence in research. "Data management and open science through the RDA network make me very excited about this partnership."

CALL TO ACTION: Join the RDA in Ecuador community forum to stay up to date on RDA - Ecuador activities, events, updates etc.

About the Research Data Alliance (RDA):

The Research Data Alliance (RDA), launched as a community-driven initiative in 2013, builds the social and technical infrastructure to enable open sharing and re-use of data. RDA has a grass-roots, inclusive approach covering all data lifecycle stages, engaging data producers, users and stewards, addressing data exchange, processing, and storage. Membership of RDA is free. For more details see - https://www.rd-alliance.org/about-rda.

About Corporación Ecuatoriana para el Desarrollo de la Investigación y la Academia (CEDIA):

CEDIA is a non-profit legal entity under private law, constituted under Ecuadorian law, governed by its Statutes, the regulatory provisions issued hereafter and the laws of the Republic of Ecuador, whose mission is to encourage, promote and coordinate the development of scientific research, academia, innovation, technology transfer, entrepreneurship, internationalization and offer services related to these areas and other related areas, to its members and to those who the Assembly authorizes it. For more details see - https://cedia.edu.ec/en/