CONFERENCEEffective research data management requires both knowledge and appropriate tools. UL offers comprehensive support – from data curator consultations and technical infrastructure to training and specialized tools. Our goal is to ensure that every researcher can follow FAIR principles, international data management standards, and best practices.
Within the framework of the Higher Education and Science Information Technology Shared Services Center (VPC) project, UL employs a team of professional data curators who provide expert support at all stages of research data management. Curators help with data management plan creation and updates, consult on dataset quality and metadata standards, provide support in data organization, documentation and repository deposition, and assist with using VPC IT solutions.
Consultations are available to all UL researchers and research project working group representatives – contact data curators: datu.kuratori@lu.lv
Researchers have access to consultations with UL data protection specialists (datu.specialisti@lu.lv) regarding GDPR requirements and personal data protection, with IT services for technical issues, and with UL ethics committees regarding ethical aspects of research.
UL IT service provides the necessary technical infrastructure for research data management. The IT tools catalogue (in Latvian) contains detailed information about available technological solutions – from standard Microsoft 365 services to specialized software for data analysis and cloud solutions for large-scale data storage. In the catalogue, you will find tool descriptions, access conditions, and usage instructions.
For secondary data searching, use the UL external data resources catalogue, which contains useful data sources for research needs. The catalogue developed by UL data curators systematically compiles both local Latvian data sources and international repositories, offering a structured overview of available opportunities. Each data source is supplemented with specific examples and practical advice to facilitate the data search process. Use the catalogue when existing data is needed for comparative analysis, context creation, validation, or obtaining additional evidence, especially during the project planning phase, to avoid unnecessary duplication with existing research.
UL Library offers a scientific publishing guide (in Latvian) that will help researchers navigate the complex academic publishing environment. The guide includes practical advice on developing publication strategies, choosing appropriate journals and preparing articles for publication, as well as detailed explanations of copyright and licensing issues.
Follow updates on the UL website about seminars and workshops organized by data curators, as well as on the UL Library website about training sessions offered to researchers, to continuously improve your research data management skills.