It's summer, it's time for vacations, and it's a time to relax and recharge for many. We come back fresh and available to continue our momentum since the train did not slow down at NDRIO. In fact, we have continued to move at high speed throughout the summer. As I wrote in my most recent blog Strategic Plan: The Journey That Awaits Us, the collective progress that gets us to our destination is just as important, rich, and wonderful as the outcome itself.
NDRIO Annual Report 2020-21
First, I am delighted to share our 2020-21 Annual Report. It summarizes our accomplishments over our second fiscal year as we built our senior management team, maintained our membership of 141, established our Researcher Council, and much more.
The Current State of Research Data Management in Canada
Second, we released another remarkable report: The Current State of Research Data Management in Canada. It summarizes the Research Data Management (RDM) landscape in Canada, and documents challenges and opportunities for the current RDM ecosystem and NDRIO. The report serves as an update to the 2017 Data Management Position Paper submitted to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada by the Leadership Council for Digital Research Infrastructure. This work will position NDRIO to build on the current state chart and advance RDM in coordination with other digital research infrastructure elements to support research excellence.
Volunteers needed for the Merit Review Committees
In preparation for NDRIO’s upcoming two funding opportunities (Inaugural Funding Opportunity and Cloud Computing Pilot Project) and future calls over the next two years, NDRIO is looking for volunteer experts for its Merit Review Committees.
The review and success of NDRIO’s current and future calls depends on the involvement of experts from the DRI ecosystem to review applications. We highly encourage volunteers from the DRI community to submit their interest in supporting these initiatives. More information can be found on this call’s dedicated webpage as well as the application form. You can contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions or need clarification on the process.
Vacancies on NDRIO’s Researcher Council
NDRIO is also calling for volunteers to fill four vacancies on the Researcher Council, to begin on October 1, 2021. We are looking for researchers across Canada who are interested in participating in the continuous advancement of research infrastructure across the country. Specifically, NDRIO’s Researcher Council is seeking individuals who:
- are from Indigenous communities
- are francophone and/or fully bilingual (English and French)
- are practicing in a rural setting and/or in the North
- from the college or CEGEP sector
Upcoming Events
In the next few weeks, NDRIO will be hosting several events, with invitations to follow in the coming days. As a reminder, please save the date for our 2021 Annual General Meeting, which will be virtual again this year and followed by the Members’ Meeting.
- August HQP Session: Wednesday, August 18, 2021, from 12 pm to 1:30 pm EDT.
- September HQP Session: Wednesday, September 22, 2021, from 12 pm to 1:30 pm EDT.
- Annual General Meeting and Members’ Meeting: Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at 1:30 pm EDT.
As always, if you have any questions or comments about our latest updates, please reach out to us at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Nizar Ladak
CEO
New Digital Research Infrastructure Organization (NDRIO)