DataHarvest – a new partnership between the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and Curtin University – is set to build expertise to advance the management of grains research, development and extension (RD&E) data for Australian grain growers.

DataHarvest will achieve its goal by upskilling more than 80 GRDC research partners Australia-wide to ensure they can expertly collect, manage and appropriately share grains RD&E data in a standardised way.

This will make the treasure trove of RD&E data become much more useful, leading to faster knowledge sharing and innovation for the grains industry.

“DataHarvest will support our research partners to manage data to ensure it is findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable – the FAIR principles,” says Dr Washington Gapare, GRDC research data manager.

“This will make it easier for researchers to know what research data sets exist outside their organisations or published datasets, and then use it to advance research outcomes for growers.

“DataHarvest will help our research data realise its full potential, by extracting greater value from existing datasets, accelerating research outcomes and avoiding duplication of effort and investment.”

GRDC research data manager Washington Gapare says DataHarvest will help researchers realise the full potential of RD&E data generated from GRDC investments. Photo: Sophie Clayton

The $2.9 million DataHarvest co-investment – including $1.3 million provided by GRDC – follows the success of GRDC’s Data Partnership Initiative.

The Data Partnerships Initiative brought together 12 GRDC research partners to develop data management best practices and to locate valuable data.

DataHarvest will build on the Data Partnerships Initiative extending what was learnt and developed by the original 12 partners to more of GRDC’s research partners.

“DataHarvest will help our research data realise its full potential, by extracting greater value from existing datasets, accelerating research outcomes and avoiding duplication of effort and investment.”

The $2.9 million DataHarvest co-investment – including $1.3 million provided by GRDC – follows the success of GRDC’s Data Partnership Initiative.

The Data Partnerships Initiative brought together 12 GRDC research partners to develop data management best practices and to locate valuable data.

DataHarvest will build on the Data Partnerships Initiative extending what was learnt and developed by the original 12 partners to more of GRDC’s research partners.

Curtin University will lead DataHarvest by tapping into the research data management expertise of the Curtin University Library and combining it with the extension and training capability of the Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM).

The DataHarvest team will help uplift the capacity and capability of GRDC’s research partners by creating online data management resources, tailored workshops and a dedicated Support Services Centre which will provide comprehensive assistance in effective data management.

Dr Fatima Naim, CCDM senior research fellow, will lead DataHarvest.

“DataHarvest paves the way for a crucial new era of standards in research data management in agriculture,” says Dr Naim.

I am excited to participate in, and witness, the upskilling of industry and researchers as we collectively progress to a future where the value of data extends beyond its initial purpose.

“This will be made possible by applying FAIR principles in combination with innovation in data analytics to ensure a maximum return on past, present and future RD&E investment.”

Dr Naim added it was important to embrace the cultural change required for the future management of RD&E data. Curtin University’s Jane Gibberd will engage with research partners to develop a needs-based curriculum and hands-on training material to ensure an appropriate level of training is provided.

Leading the capacity and capability work is Curtin University Library’s John Brown.

“Curtin University Library is excited to be involved in this partnership and we are pleased to see the deep commitment of GRDC to improving RD&E data management across the country,” says Mr Brown.

“We're excited by the diversity and scope of GRDCs research partners, so we're looking forward to making sure the support really meets partners’ needs.

Over time we’re anticipating great exponential effects of improved data practices – better practices lead to better inputs, which enable better outputs, which leads to more incentive to further improve data practices.

Improved data management results in better outcomes for Australian grain growers via the faster and more efficient delivery of new knowledge and RD&E outputs.

GRDC is also working on the GRDC Data Catalogue which will be a central directory of where to find datasets generated from GRDC’s investments.

The GRDC Data Catalogue serves as the central mechanism for increasing the visibility of GRDC's data assets, ultimately leading to improved applications, greater collaboration and better research outcomes.

The expertise built through DataHarvest will be reflected in the quantity and quality of information contained within the GRDC Data Catalogue.

DataHarvest demonstrates GRDC and Curtin University's commitment to bringing together diverse strengths for the advancement of RD&E data management for the benefit of Australian grain growers.

This collaboration represents a cultural shift in agricultural data governance, placing a strong emphasis on the importance of ensuring that data assets are not only collected but are also findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR).

This investment is not about storing data or aggregating datasets, it is about making data more findable and accessible for researchers.

For more information email the DataHarvest team or visit the GRDC RD&E data web page.