Uptake of Digital Research Infrastructure IG Statement of Work

Many countries and regions recognise the relevance of digital research infrastructure (DRI) as fundamental to their research effort, e.g. Australia’s 2021 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap (https://www.education.gov.au/download/13735/2021-national-research-infrastructure-roadmap/26919/2021-national-research-infrastructure-roadmap/pdf, Recommendation 7), or Canada (https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/digital-research-infrastructure/en).

Understanding uptake – by whom, how and for what purposes such infrastructure is used and why it may not be used –  is key for understanding user needs, barriers and opportunities. This understanding can be used to increase uptake, justify existing and to acquire further (sustainability) funding, and to understand how the DRI enabled researchers to address societal challenges. It is also a critical prerequisite for organisations, including providers and funders of DRI, to be able to understand and measure impact and ensure that funders are getting return on their investments.

However, understanding uptake is a difficult problem. While indicators such as user counts, access requests (quantitative) and user surveys (qualitative) exist, they do not provide a full picture, including an understanding of why potential users choose not to use the DRI.

This IG will explore and collect use cases from different types of DRI and identify practical approaches to capturing, understanding and measuring uptake.