Betreft
Reactie directeur DANS op externe evaluatie
Datum =
4 april 2011
Algemeen Het evaluatierapport heeft een zeer positieve toon. Het was van te voren bekend dat het SEP niet op alle punten toepasbaar was op DANS, omdat het instituut een dienstverlenende taak heeft en geen onderzoekstaak. De opzet van de zelfevaluatie was in overleg met de KNAW en de evaluatiecommissie al enigszins aangepast aan deze situatie. Onderzoeksprogramma In de zelfevaluatie, opgesteld voorafgaande aan de komst van de evaluatiecommissie, heeft DANS aangegeven op twee punten nog niet geheel tevreden te zijn met het eigen functioneren. Dit betreft enerzijds het gebrek aan een eigen onderzoeksprogramma, anderzijds het bereiken van (master)studenten. Hoewel DANS formeel geen onderzoekstaak heeft, heeft DANS wel een aanzienlijk aantal R&D-projecten uitgevoerd, meestal in samenwerking met universitaire(?) onderzoeksgroepen. Deze R&D-projecten zijn zeer positief beoordeeld door de evaluatie(?)commissie. Ook is op bescheiden wijze over deze projecten gepubliceerd. In mijn visienota uit 2010, die met de evaluatiecommissie is besproken, heb ik aangegeven dat DANS een eigen onderzoeksprogramma zou moeten hebben. Ook in de concept-strategienota 2011-2015 bepleit ik dat, mij daarbij houdend aan het devies van de evaluatiecommissie: “The committee recommends that DANS remains a service organization that also performs some research, and should not aim at becoming a research organization that also performs some services.” Zowel de evaluatiecommissie als de wetenschappelijke adviesraad (WAR) van DANS zijn terughoudend op dit gebied. Ik kan mij vinden in de formulering van de WAR dat de R&D bij DANS in dienst moet staan van expertiseontwikkeling en van het vermogen van de organisatie om snel in te kunnen spelen op internationale ontwikkelingen in het werkgebied. Naar mijn mening zal een onderzoeksprogramma de dienstverlening van DANS versterken. In de strategienota 2011-2015 wordt geformuleerd hoe dit ‘e-Research’ verder wordt vormgegeven door zich te richten op digitale archivering en beschikbaarstelling van data. Studenten Het tweede punt van zelfkritiek, het bereiken van studenten, heeft de evaluatiecommissie overgenomen, vandaar de “good / satisfactory”. Hierbij zij opgemerkt dat in de “Blauwdruk DANS” en bij de tussentijdse evaluatie aan de (master) studenten nauwelijks aandacht is besteed. Pas twee jaar geleden hebben wij zelf deze omissie ingezien en is DANS begonnen zich meer expliciet op studenten te richten. Wij menen zelf dat onder de “onderzoekers van de toekomst” nog veel valt te bereiken. Discipline-onafhankelijkheid In de bespreking met de evaluatiecommissie is uitvoerig stilgestaan bij het strategisch voornemen van DANS om zich (geleidelijk) te ontwikkelen tot een discipline-onafhankelijke organisatie. Ook hier bepleiten evaluatiecommissie en WAR
Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) Anna van Saksenlaan 10, 2593 HT Den Haag Postbus 93067, 2509 AB Den Haag T 070 3446 484, F 070 3446 482, E
[email protected] DANS is een instituut van KNAW en NWO
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voorzichtigheid, hoewel zij onderschrijven dat een aanzienlijk deel van de DANSactiviteiten niet gebonden is aan de alfa- of gammawetenschappen. DANS neemt de aanbevelingen ter harte om de ambities niet te zeer te spreiden, dicht bij de kerntaken te blijven, de positie in de sociale en geesteswetenschappen te versterken en van daaruit het veld te verbreden. Daarbij zal DANS zich laten leiden door vragen die zich in het veld voordoen, en zal bovendien de wal het schip vanzelf keren. Dienstverlening aan andere terreinen zal immers ook investeringen vanuit die terreinen vergen. Uit de bereidheid om diensten te financieren zal blijken hoever de behoefte daaraan strekt. De aanbevelingen om de versterking van de datainfrastructuur in andere gebieden te bereiken door het sluiten van strategische partnerships zullen wij zeker volgen. De evaluatiecommissie geeft voorts een groot aantal uiterst bruikbare aanbevelingen, die, zoals de WAR adviseert, verwerkt zullen worden in de nieuwe DANS-strategienota. Korte reacties zijn puntsgewijs opgenomen in de appendix. Peter Doorn Directeur DANS
Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) Anna van Saksenlaan 10, 2593 HT Den Haag Postbus 93067, 2509 AB Den Haag T 070 3446 484, F 070 3446 482, E
[email protected] DANS is een instituut van KNAW en NWO
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Appendix. Reactions to individual recommendations: •
Evaluate continuously the way in which data are acquired. A large amount of data sets are acquired through research projects and it is not always clear how relevant these materials will turn out to be for later research: try to prevent significant parts of the DANS archive to become largely unused.
DANS depends partly on voluntary contributions, partly on obligatory deposits. The acquisitions strategy focuses on the datasets that are viewed as most important, and is in line with research and funding strategies of NWO and KNAW. •
A related recommendation: show more initiative in actively acquiring data sets. Archaeology was a good example of how new data were integrated and used. This experience should be turned into a strategy of productively working with new data.
Our experience shows that not every field can be approached in the same way. Nevertheless, DANS targets its acquisition policy as efficiently as possible at promising areas. •
As mentioned before: the users. This is currently one of DANS’ more vulnerable points: the relationship with users and what they need. DANS’ major goal should be to increase the foothold in the social science and humanities and focus on students: providing lecture material for lecturers, providing projects or exercises to be used in courses, etc. More direct and serious communications with users could improve the efficiency of the institute in several ways.
DANS has already put more emphasis on the communication with students, which will remain a priority in the next few years. Our participation in projects such as “Network for Digital Methods in the Arts and Humanities – NeDiMAH” will provide extra emphasis in developing course materials. •
We recommend to capitalize more on the high reputation of Dutch social sciences in the international social science community. The absolute key is the richness and quality of the data they hold. They have to develop and maintain a collection that researchers want to use and are essential for research purposes. The social sciences are an area where DANS might visibly ‘add value’ to research, which is indispensable for survival. DANS needs to make itself absolutely core and indispensable to at least one key research group.
DANS will continue to provide services to most of the high-profile social science projects, both in the survey community (such as the list of “veranderingsstudies”) and in the community engaged in qualitative social research. •
The issue of ‘brand awareness’ does not receive sufficient attention from DANS employees. DANS should carry out an active policy to increase brand awareness, also among students. PR-activities in research schools and universities seem straightforward, but are probably an effective way to increase the use of existing files, ultimately the reason of being for DANS.
Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) Anna van Saksenlaan 10, 2593 HT Den Haag Postbus 93067, 2509 AB Den Haag T 070 3446 484, F 070 3446 482, E
[email protected] DANS is een instituut van KNAW en NWO
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Reaching students is for DANS a relatively cost-effective way of keeping and increasing their market in the future. Reaching the “researchers of the future”, thereby increasing the awareness of the DANS-brand, will be a priority for the following years. •
Try to establish more effective cooperation with other data centers. At universities – some of which have their own data centers, with the Royal Library, National Archive and also – especially – the CBS. Because of their strong foothold in the social science, strengthening the contacts with CBS is crucially important to offer deeper access to data, which is not to be neglected.
A new data contract with CBS is soon to be signed. Relationships with the partners in the Netherlands Coalition for Digital Preservation will be further developed. In the DANS strategy, special attention is paid to the creation of a network with university data centres and libraries. •
We suggest DANS makes more use of externally available software either commercially or in the open source world. Selecting software that complies with open standards is sufficient warrant against the fear of commercial vendor lock-in. Examples of this are map-overlay software and dBase converters. The Streaming Media Server project was a good example of a mix of buying where possible, developing where necessary. It is advisable to seek out competitive offers with regard to storage possibilities; and explore other possibilities (possibly open source software) when looking for new software.
The subject of software development (and storage costs) is explicitly dealt with in the DANS strategy. DANS aims to outsource software development for production systems in joint projects with researchers as much as possible. Recommendations specifically related to the strategic goals in the vision memorandum. •
With regard to the wish to initiate research projects the committee wants to stress that substantial increases in these existing research activities should only be considered under the condition that they do not distract attention or funding from any DANS primary activity, namely the acquisition, storage, dissemination and support of archived research data.
Point taken. See main text. •
The committee recommends to be careful with regard to increasing the number of fields in which DANS is active. Stressing this recommendation somewhat: the institute should aim to be a core element to a few communities instead of being peripheral too many. It is not a matter of modesty, it could turn out to be a matter of survival. DANS wants to be 1) a repository of the most important/best/popular datasets, 2) an exhaustive archive and 3) a research institute. It will be impossible to be all three at once.
Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) Anna van Saksenlaan 10, 2593 HT Den Haag Postbus 93067, 2509 AB Den Haag T 070 3446 484, F 070 3446 482, E
[email protected] DANS is een instituut van KNAW en NWO
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See main text. The points 1, 2 and 3 formulated here are a good summary of the DANS priorities. •
Broadening scope within the social science and humanities should be a key effort. Further developments can start from there. If DANS wants to move in the direction of beta studies, they should think of social health and medicine.
See main text. Health care and medicine is indeed a potential area of service, provided that ZonMw and the Ministry of VWS (Health, Welfare and Sport) see a role for DANS here. •
DANS wishes to initiate research itself, and we recommend to proceed most carefully with this ambition. To be a research institute, instead of a service institute, demands a different organization structure. The strength currently lies in the combination, whereby the applied aspects are stronger than the theoretical qualities. It will take more than good intentions to change this and DANS runs the risk of neglecting its core activities by aiming at too many different activities on a thin basis. The risk of uncontrollable growth should be avoided.
See main text. There are several KNAW institutes that combine the maintenance of a collection with research. However, as indicated above, R&D will continue to have a supportive role for the main service functions. •
If this route is pursued, we suggest writing a business plan for a modest expansion, not in the “hardcore beta”-field, but in a neighboring field, such as social health or economics. Do not underestimate the danger of cultural differences (they are the most prominent risk-factor in commercial mergers and acquisitions and there is no reason to assume that science is different).
This will be more extensively described in the DANS strategic report. •
Furthermore, it is a question whether beta sciences need a centralized approach, and since DANS has no roots in these communities, it might be more difficult and not productive.
See main text and forthcoming strategic report. DANS will not develop service functions without an explicit demand from a specific field. The DANS functions will more likely than not be in certain niches; for instance, the Data Seal of Approval is developed to be applied by digital repositories in different research domains, with no requirement of centralisation whatsoever. •
The committee recommends that DANS remains a service organization that also performs some research, and should not aim at becoming a research organization that also performs some services.
Indeed!
Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) Anna van Saksenlaan 10, 2593 HT Den Haag Postbus 93067, 2509 AB Den Haag T 070 3446 484, F 070 3446 482, E
[email protected] DANS is een instituut van KNAW en NWO
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