The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC), has welcomed Federation University Australia, Australia’s leading regional university, as a new host institution.
Federation University already supports the ARDC and the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) as an ARDC member.
In becoming a host institution, Federation University will now have ARDC staff based on campus. Due to the strong alignment, the new ARDC staff members will be based within the Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI), located within Federation University’s Research portfolio. CeRDI is a global leader in data interoperability and promotes innovation through the application of new technologies through research, knowledge transfer and commercial activities.
The initial cohort of staff will be supporting the delivery of the ARDC’s 3 Thematic Research Data Commons: People, Planet, and HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons. The ARDC’s new HR Business Partner is also based at Federation University.
This evolution of the relationship between Federation University and the ARDC will only increase the benefit for researchers both on campus and nationally.
“Becoming ARDC’s first regional host institution marks a significant milestone for Federation University,” Prof. Helen Thompson, Director, Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation, Federation University Australia.
“We look forward to contributing to ARDCs purpose of providing Australian researchers with competitive advantage through data.”
Rosie Hicks, CEO, ARDC said, “We’re thrilled to have Federation University join us as our first regional host institution.
“CeRDI recognises the importance of national research data management and has had a long association with the ARDC in developing digital research infrastructure and will continue this support in the delivery of the ARDC’s Thematic Research Data Commons infrastructure for Australian researchers.
“With Federation University coming on board as our first regional host institution, it will allow us to provide their researchers with access to national digital research infrastructure to support their cutting edge research, as well as providing skilled staff and partnership opportunities for the ARDC.”
Federation University has partnered with the ARDC to deliver several national research infrastructure projects.
It is currently leading on the ARDC’s Translational Research Data Challenge Food Security Data Sharing Initiative, which aims to improve data sharing practices between farmers and technology/service providers.
CeRDI at Federation University has also worked with the ARDC over many years to develop and improve the AgReFed platform, which enables researchers to search and discover trusted, reusable agriculture-related datasets, workflows and models. This facilitates data reuse and cross-discipline collaborations for novel research insights and practical applications in policy, reporting and on-ground decision making.
The ARDC is funded through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) to support national digital research infrastructure for Australian researchers.
