A new Presidential Policy on University of California Research Data and Tangible Research Materials is currently under systemwide review. This draft policy addresses issues concerning the ownership of data and tangible materials generated during the course of UC research. All members of the UC community are encouraged to read the policy and accompanying information available below and submit any comments by April 7, 2021.
As stated in the policy, “Access to and use and retention of Research Data and Tangible Research Materials are not only critical to substantiate results, but also to provide a foundation for the advancement of scholarship. Because new research may build upon data collected before the importance of such data could have been envisioned, it remains critical that Research Data and Tangible Research Materials are properly curated, collected, recorded, securely retained, managed, and appropriately accessible.”
Over the past two years, the Research Policy Analysis and Coordination (RPAC) unit within the department of Research and Innovation at the UC Office of the President has met with a small advisory group made up of representatives from UCSD, UCLA, UC Berkeley, the Office of General Counsel, the California Digital Library, and several Academic Senate committees.
The resulting draft policy affirms the following key points:
- The Regents of the University of California own all Research Data and Tangible Research Materials.
- Research Data and Tangible Research Materials must be retained as long as is required by funders, publishers, campus policy, compliance or regulatory bodies, applicable law, relevant agreements, and in accordance with the standards of the Principal Investigators’ scholarly disciplines.
- When Principal Investigators leave the University, Research Data and Tangible Research Materials remain the property of the Regents of the University of California; however, Principal Investigators may generally take with them copies of Research Data generated during their research projects at UC.
Please submit any comments to RPAC@ucop.edu by April 7, 2021 with the subject line “Research Data and Tangible Research Materials Policy Comments.” If you have any questions, please contact Agnes Balla at agnes.balla@ucop.edu.
Tags: Data
