Universities, companies, organisations and societies are increasingly facing enormous quantities of data. It is a great challenge to transform these Big Data into knowledge, which is why Leiden University has launched a University-wide Data Science Research Programme.

Doing research in archaeology is more than just gathering data and publishing a paper. Nowadays, there is a growing trend in producing well-defined and responsible data management plans. They help to navigate the process and result in good data management practices which in return benefit the researchers…

If your research project involves collecting private or otherwise sensitive data, you must ensure adequate data protection measures are taken. Research must be conducted in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In terms of patient data, for instance, when used for research carried…

Your options for data storage may vary depending on factors such as size and sensitivity of the data or collaboration with partners outside the university. We are all responsible for data protection. To keep personal data as secure as possible, approved tools should be used to ensure safe processing…

As a university employee, you probably work with personal data. That is not just names and telephone numbers – it can also include things like cookies. How can you make sure you are working in a privacy-proof way?

As a PhD candidate, you work with data. To keep (personal) data as secure as possible, the university has established an information security policy.

A data processing register is a record of which personal data you process and who you share this data with. If you collect personal data for your research, you must record this in the data processing register.

Research

Contemporary data management practices rest on the four principles: findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability.

Collecting personal and sensitive data is not as common an issue in archaeological research as in some other fields such as sociology and political sciences which is often the reason why archaeologists might not be aware that they are handling those types of data.

While health data is essential for scientific research, that data also needs to be protected. In her doctoral thesis, Irith Kist found a balance between protecting the individual and exchanging health data.

Do you have questions about data management? Please contact the data stewards:

As a standard, your workplace comes equipped with a limited amount of disk space. We offer a number of options for extending your disk space. In addition, ISSC can help you recover lost files. You can also securely store your files in the cloud via OneDrive and Teams. Whichever storage you use, be aware…

When structured properly, the data are easier to manipulate, analyze and visualize.

Firstly, Data Management Plan (DMP) is after all a plan, so you must carry it out!

As an employee of Leiden University, you probably work with or come into contact with personal data. The concept of ‘personal data’ is core to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). If you work with personal data, you must be able to explain clearly, comprehensively and in simple language how…

Didactics, Career development

Two projects from Leiden University have been awarded a grant through the programme.

Any loss of control over stored personal data constitutes a potential data leak. In most cases this concerns stolen (or lost) digital files, but a stolen (or mislaid) printed list containing personal data also represents a data leak. It is important that you report any data leak.

If you bring in a (new) person who will be processing personal data for you, this person is not allowed to use this information for his or her own purposes. You need to formalise this in a data processing agreement. The university will usually have an agreement in place.

Individuals have the right to instruct the university to delete their personal data in a number of cases. For instance, if the university no longer needs the data, or if the person withdraws consent previously given.

Research

Dear colleagues, On request of Sebastian Feger (Ludwig-Maximilians University, München) we would like to ask you to fill in this survey on data management across junior and senior scientists: https://survey.uu.nl/jfe/form/SV_5mU7daIIUef6awd?Agri=NO&Sc=1. The survey has been set up by him and Pawel…

Are you handling personal data just once, for instance when taking the minutes of a meeting or organising an employee outing? You do not need to include this use in the data processing register if you stick to the following conditions.

Research

Your options for data storage may vary depending on factors such as size and sensitivity of the data or collaboration with partners outside the university. We are all responsible for data protection. To keep (personal) data as secure as possible, the university has established an information security…

Any loss of control over stored personal data is a potential data breach. Most cases involve stolen or lost digital files, but a stolen or lost printed list of personal data is also a data breach. It is important to report any data breach.

During the HALON hacking competition, 28 teams had one goal: to find as many vulnerabilities as possible in the systems of Dutch higher education institutions. Research software engineer Chris Handy participated on his own and ended up in second place in the category ‘Vulnerabilities found at the highest…