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Introduction
The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR), affiliated with the University of Ottawa, is one of Canada’s foremost research institutes focused on mental health. The IMHR is committed to cutting-edge research, specializing in the development of more personalized and alternative treatment options to help improve patient care locally and globally. As such, good management and stewardship of research data is an important contributor to this innovative work.
In March 2021, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) released the Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy to advance research excellence in Canada by ensuring that publicly funded research is supported by sound research data management (RDM) practices. The policy stipulates that “… research data collected through the use of public funds should be responsibility and securely managed and be, where ethical, legal and commercial obligations allow, available for reuse by others”. The policy also asserts that all institutions eligible to receive and administer Tri-Agency funding comply with three requirements: (1) the development of an institutional RDM strategy, (2) the integration of data management plans (DMPs) into all funding applications, and (3) the deposit of research data into a digital repository.
In accordance with this policy, the IMHR commits to support research excellence by supporting its researchers in their efforts to establish and implement sound RDM practices. The IMHR also commits to upholding the FAIR principles to ensure high-quality, securely and sustainably stored research data, and where possible and appropriate, their continued findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability.