When it comes to managing research data at the scale of a world-leading institution like University College London (UCL), flexibility and collaboration are key. James Wilson, who leads UCL’s Research Data Services, recently shared insights on UCL’s membership with EUDAT, its value for researchers, and what lessons data managers can draw from the experience.
What EUDAT membership could mean for institutions like UCL
UCL operates its own comprehensive suite of data services—multi-petabyte storage, institutional repositories, electronic research notebooks, high-performance computing, and trusted research environments. For most UK-funded projects, these in-house systems are the natural choice: scalable, cost-effective, and tightly aligned with UKRI’s requirements for metadata and governance.
But for international collaboration and in order to boost interoperable open science practices, the membership to services like EUDAT offers become invaluable. As Wilson suggests EUDAT brings several benefits :
• Shared tools for shared projects: EUDAT’s tools allow partners across Europe to work seamlessly on the same infrastructure. Instead of every institution relying solely on local services, EU-funded projects gain efficiency and consistency by adopting EUDAT solutions.
• Access to a collaborative network: Membership provides UCL with a ready-made ecosystem of like-minded institutions. This opens doors to new project bids.
• Co-development opportunities: UCL’s central services team has also partnered in EU projects (e.g., the DICE project) to improve data services, testing innovations side by side with European counterparts.
Lessons for Data Managers
From Wilson’s perspective, EUDAT demonstrates several areas where data managers can benefit:
1. Collaboration Infrastructure
For institutions managing cross-border projects, EUDAT provides more than tools—it offers a network. Data managers don’t have to reinvent collaborations from scratch; they can tap into a shared European ecosystem.
2. Lifecycle Integration
Wilson stresses the importance of linking services across the entire data lifecycle, from inception to long-term preservation. EUDAT’s strength lies in offering a suite of services designed to work together, avoiding loss of metadata or context when moving data between stages.
3. Future-Proofing Through Automation
Both UCL and EUDAT are exploring workflow automation, provenance capture, and integration of data with computing environments. For data managers, this signals where to focus next: not just storing and sharing data, but capturing process and context.
4. Challenges of Scale
One limitation Wilson highlights is scale. UCL can provision multi-petabyte storage cost-effectively on-premises—something not easily matched by cloud-based or pan-European services without significant cost. For data managers, this raises an important point: hybrid approaches may be necessary, combining local strengths with shared European resources.
5. Sustainability and Policy Barriers
EUDAT’s sustainability is a recurring theme. Wilson notes that UK public procurement rules make it harder for universities to adopt services that aren’t structured as commercial providers. For data managers, this illustrates the importance of policy alignment as much as technical capability.
Looking Ahead
Despite challenges, Wilson is clear: UCL values EUDAT for its collaborative power and innovation potential. He sees the future of EUDAT not in any one tool, but in its ability to integrate services into a continuum—helping researchers move data smoothly from generation to publication, reuse, and preservation.
As he puts it, “The landscape would be poorer without it.”
For data managers across Europe and beyond, the lesson is clear: even if institutional infrastructure is strong, networks like EUDAT bring scale, collaboration, and forward-looking development that no single institution can build alone.