Timothy McGeary
Associate University Librarian for Digital Strategies and Technology, Director of Research Initiatives
Duke University
Rebecca Brouwer
Director of Research Initiatives
Duke University
John Board
Associate Chief Information Officer, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Duke University
Beginning in February 2022, Duke University Information Technology Advisory Council (ITAC) launched a comprehensive assessment of research IT needs across Duke faculties, in order to identify the actual support needs and existing service gaps in meeting the needs of Duke’s modern, computationally intensive research enterprise. The assessment was motivated by a recognition that research methods and domains had changed dramatically over the years, while IT services and support structures tended to change more incrementally. The final findings and recommendations were developed as a Phase 1 report, and the process culminated with six findings and 10 recommendations, categorized into the areas of People, Process, and Technology, across the university. Following the release of the Phase 1 report, Duke’s vice president for information technology, vice president for research and innovation, and vice provost for library affairs teamed up with others to sponsor Phase 2 of the effort, developing service proposals to meet the Phase 1 needs expressed by faculty, which encompass much more than IT. From January–May 2023, six cross-functional staff teams, each with faculty representation, drew up 39 proposed services to address Phase 1 expressed needs. After further service refinement and faculty and sponsor feedback, 12 services were recommended for implementation, comprising three overarching service clusters: (1) Better Support for Researchers by Adding Personnel, Improving Coordination, and Easing Service Discovery, (2) Enhance Computational Services and Build Capacity for Data-Intensive Research, and (3) Balance Security and Compliance Requirements with Flexibility Needed to Support Different Types of Researchers. This presentation will discuss all three phases of the initiative: Assessment, Recommendations, and Implementation.