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CRDCN launches “Opening doors to data” campaign
CRDCN
Posted on: May 26, 2025
On May 14, at the Canadian Research Data Centre Network (CRDCN) annual conference, the Network formally launched its latest project: “Opening doors to data: restricted data discovery and access.”
The project was awarded a Connection Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and will see CRDCN outreach and training sessions held in all 10 provincial capitals throughout 2025.
The formal launch was done via a plenary session as part of CRDCN’s 25th anniversary conference. The session, titled “Data management and supporting FAIRly restricted data,” featured presentations by Alexandra Cooper (Queen’s University), James Doiron (University of Alberta), Ted McDonald (University of New Brunswick) and Kevin Read (University of Saskatchewan), and was moderated by CRDCN Executive Director Dr. Natalie Harrower.
What is clear from the plenary session is that a coordinated approach to making restricted research data more FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) should be a core priority for the research community, but that barriers related to training and resourcing can make it hard to realize that vision,” says Grant Gibson, CRDCN’s Assistant Director of Research and Evaluation. “It’s also clear that both the research community and data providers have a role to play in improving the restricted-data ecosystem.”
The cross-country sessions will feature a 60-minute outreach session led by Johanne Provençal, CRDCN’s Director of Research, Training and Knowledge Mobilization, and a 90-minute training session led by Gibson.
The outreach session will bring together CRDCN researchers and provincial government department contacts and provide an overview of CRDCN mechanisms that enable researchers and government colleagues to collaboratively address shared priorities. It will conclude with an open mic that invites attendees to identify key issues for which they would welcome CRDCN-facilitated discussion among researchers and government colleagues.
The training session will focus on restricted data discoverability for restricted data research projects. In the session, participants will learn how to use a set of tools to make their restricted data FAIR, such as the Sensitive Data Toolkit, university repositories and discovery services. Participants will gain a solid understanding of these tools and become comfortable both applying them themselves and advocating for their use by restricted data providers for greater research transparency.
“We hope that attendees with restricted data will learn both the need and value of ensuring their research data are discoverable and learn how to put a plan to make data discoverable into action!” says Gibson. “We also want to foster and nurture strong(er) connections between provincial policy departments and the research community in nearby universities to maximize the value of public investments into data and training.”
The first four sessions will be held in June:
- June 16: Fredericton, New Brunswick – University of New Brunswick
- June 17: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island – UPEI
- June 18: Halifax, Nova Scotia – Dalhousie University
- June 19: St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador – Memorial University
The sessions will continue again in September in the remaining provincial capital cities before culminating with a full-day event on October 28, 2025, in Toronto, Ontario.
For more information about CRDCN’s “Opening doors to data: restricted data discovery and access” project activities, please contact Tess Hudson, CRDCN’s Manager, Research, Training and Knowledge Mobilization.
The “Opening doors to data” project is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. CRDCN receives funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.
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