Bite-sized

Day 1: Thursday, 12 September

Session 4.A:Navigating and charting career pathways in data services, a presentation of preliminary findings from the ODSESSY project
This session will introduce a new project with aims to examine pathways for Optimizing Data Professional Success. The UK has a diverse and dynamic research data landscape, with data service staff crucial in supporting researchers. As data sources and delivery mechanisms have grown more complex, so have the required skills for these professionals. However, they often find themselves in a challenging position - neither fully academic researchers nor university support staff. This has created a significant gap in training and career development, leading to high turnover, limited diversity, and unclear career progression. The project aims to transform the training and development landscape for data service staff by focusing on skill mapping, curriculum development, recruitment and induction strategies, and establishing a supportive network.During this event we will be presenting preliminary findings and designs for the skills framework and curriculum. We will be asking for feedback and discussion on the preliminary findings and sketches to help steer this project.

Session 4.B: Supporting social science data research in health-focussed Trusted Research Environments: what can we do better?
Current health-focussed Trusted Research Environments (TREs) are well-linked to NHS data, but do not maximise the potential value from linking better with social science datasets and researchers. We represent the Scottish Safe Haven TRE Network and are working to identify the gaps and needs in knowledge and skills of TRE professional staff for supporting social science data ingestion and research methods. We will present our findings so far including areas identified as needing skills development. We want to understand researchers' needs in this area and challenges experienced to date in accessing routinely collected, unconsented, linked health and social science datasets. This will feed directly into a curriculum development plan that could be used across the UK to upskill health-focussed TRE professional staff to better support social science data research.