Mission Statement

The mission of the Indiana University Research Data Commons (IU-RDC) is to coordinate services that address evolving needs associated with research data at IU through an iterative process, thereby creating a “front door” that enables the discovery, access, utilization, and careful sharing of research data while aligning with the efforts of national funding organizations, peer institutions, and community partners. By identifying researchers’ needs, cataloging existing services, leveraging investments, and establishing a sustainable governance structure, we aim to foster a competitive research data infrastructure at IU which helps in recruiting and in being of service to the state and beyond.

Our goal is to enhance scholarly, educational, and service missions by attracting external funding and promoting excellence in data-driven research. The IU-RDC will serve as a university-wide resource, facilitating data discovery, sharing, and access, while leveraging our expertise in centralized cyberinfrastructure. We are committed to empowering students through enriched training opportunities and activating our resources to better serve local organizations, the state, and our partners. As the role of data expands in society (for example, connected to AI), and academia, our strategic planning aligns with research data initiatives underway at other institutions and emphasizes central-level strategies to meet growing needs for coordination. We aim to be a role-model among peer institutions, promoting IU’s strengths in research data and establishing the IU-RDC as a crucial resource for fulfilling our mission.

To achieve our objectives, we will establish a coordinating structure, implement recommended actions, develop effective communication strategies, and help raise the necessary financial resources for the IU-RDC’s sustainable growth and success.