Jason Brodeur
Associate Director, Digital Scholarship Services
McMaster University
Lee Wilson
Service Manager
CARL Portage
Susan Haigh
Executive Director
Canadian Association of Research Libraries
The Canadian Research Data Management (RDM) landscape is evolving rapidly as a result of two national initiatives: a) the development and imminent release of an RDM policy applicable to all research supported by national funding agencies, and b) efforts by the federal government to reorganize the coordination and governance of Canada’s broader Digital Research Infrastructure. With regard to these initiatives, Canadian academic libraries have played an important role in developing expectations and requirements for a national RDM approach through the work of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries’ (CARL) Portage Network. Since its launch in 2015, Portage’s operations have focused on expanding networks of expertise for RDM in Canada, while also developing, connecting, and sustaining the infrastructure and services required to support RDM needs at a national scale. In this project briefing, we discuss how the work of the Portage Network has shaped (and is shaping) the emerging Canadian RDM landscape at numerous levels of engagement. Following an overview of the current Canadian RDM context and Portage’s role in its ongoing development, we will provide an update on recent expansions to national-scale systems and services–this includes the transition of national data repositories to full production and the employment of a suite of national-level coordinator positions to strengthen the Network’s national data stewardship activities. Finally, we will summarize the outcomes of the Canadian Data Curation Forum–a Portage-led event that brought together relevant stakeholders and practitioners to articulate a vision for a national approach to data curation in Canada.