Why Researchers Must Rethink Research Data Management: The Case for a Commercial RDM Solution

Traditionally, researchers have relied on their team members to devise appropriate data management practices for their research. More often than not, this was left to the PhD or Masters student members of the research team to work with institutional IT resources to figure out an appropriate solution and supporting protocol - e.g., SharePoint, OneDrive, etc.

This approach is no longer good enough given growth in interdisciplinary research, increased collaboration, and new regulatory requirements surrounding research data security to protect Intellectual Property (IP) and participant data privacy and Personal Health Information (PHI) data.

As higher education research institutions struggle to keep up with new requirements, and rising infrastructure costs and supporting services, it makes sense to consider and evaluate commercial research data management (RDM) solutions that can provide an efficient and regulatory-compliant alternative.

The Growing Challenges in Research Data Management

Interdisciplinary Collaboration & Global Partnerships

The shift toward interdisciplinary research requires seamless, secure collaboration across institutions and countries. Traditional IT solutions that were focused on internal data storage are not adequately supporting complex multi-institutional projects or clinical trials.

New Regulatory & Security Standards

Increased cybersecurity and data privacy regulations (e.g., NIST 800-171, GDPR, HIPAA) make compliance more complex. Higher education IT teams which tend to be under-resourced are struggling to meet these evolving requirements and researchers and their institutions risk serious compliance penalties, data breaches, and reputational harm.

For example, a recent EDUCAUSE article reports that target timelines for the new NIST 800-171 standard compliance among institutions varied significantly, ranging from six months to two years or more. Specifically, 19% of respondents planned to achieve compliance within six months, 26% within six months to a year, and 16% within more than one year but less than two years. 16% of respondents indicated their institution had no specific timeline or plan for compliance, and 14% were unsure.

Researchers pursuing grant funding can’t wait two years. They often have to include a Data Management Plan (DMP) in conjunction with their Institutional Research Boards (IRB) submissions.

Limited Institutional IT Resources

Additionally, internal IT teams are stretched thin, balancing multiple priorities beyond RDM and limited dedicated support for researchers’ specific compliance, security, and workflow needs adds additional risk.

The Case for Commercial Research Data Management Solutions

Complete RDM Lifecycle Support

Unlike general storage platforms, dedicated RDM solutions support data collection, team collaboration, agreement management with eSignature capabilities, research data repository management with data sovereignty support, analysis, sharing, research ethics board modules, archiving, and audit trails.

Tools designed for research-specific workflows streamline compliance and collaboration and significantly reduce reliance on internal IT resources, and free up those resources to address other tasks such as supporting High Performance Computing (HPC) for example.

Built-In Compliance & Security

Commercial RDM solutions, like myLaminin, integrate security and compliance frameworks from day one. Automated audit logs, encryption, and controlled access ensure regulatory adherence.

Seamless Collaboration Across Institutions

myLaminin was designed from the start for secure sharing between institutions, industry partners, and international collaborators with coordination with institutional stakeholders such as Research Legal Services (RLS), Research Ethics Boards (REBs), Librarians, and IT. myLaminin enables real-time access to research data regardless of geographic distribution of the team while maintaining strict security protocols.

Long-Term Data Preservation & FAIR Principles

RDM platforms must now support data discoverability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIR). Open Science and Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles of OCAP (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession) are also important considerations going forward.

This implies that research data must remain accessible beyond grant cycles and individual researchers’ tenure. While this may require some controls and/or agreements be put in place for data sharing, all of this can and should be supported through your RDM platform.

Why Researchers and Higher Education Institutions Should Act Now

With regulations tightening and IT resources constrained, waiting is no longer an option. Investing in a commercial RDM solution reduces long-term risks and ensures research integrity. Early adopters will benefit from smoother compliance, enhanced collaboration opportunities, and likelihood of securing more grant funding. Institutions will derive significant return on investment (ROI) in operational efficiencies, reduced cybersecurity risks, and intellectual property protection.

References:

¹EDUCAUSE, EDUCAUSE QuickPoll Results: NIST SP 800-171 Compliance Efforts and Challenges in Higher Education, March 2025. Available at: https://er.educause.edu/articles/2025/3/educause-quickpoll-results-nist-sp-800-171-compliance-efforts-and-challenges-in-higher-education

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Ash Bassili (article author) is the CEO of myLaminin, a secure research data management platform for academia using blockchain and web3 technologies, who brings a rich 30-year global experience base in emerging technology delivery. Ash has a BSc Hons Life Sciences from Queen’s University, a MSc in Information Technology from Johns Hopkins University, and a Certificate in Blockchain Technologies from MIT Sloan School of Management.