RELU Data Support Service and Knowledge Portal

It co-ordinated the archiving of Relu research data in established data centres to make them available for future research. The interdisciplinary Relu Programme studied the social, economic, environmental and technological challenges facing rural areas in Britain. Teams of social and environmental scientists, in close collaboration with stakeholders, researched sustainable food chains, the management of animal and plant diseases, adaptation to environmental change, and integrated land and water management.

Relu (2004-2013) brought together research communities with different cultures and practices of data management and sharing and was at the forefront of cross-disciplinary data management and sharing by developing a proactive data management policy and the first cross-council Data Support Service. Drawing on best practice from its constituent Research Councils, the Relu Data Support Service (Relu-DSS) provided systematic and proactive data management guidance and support to the Programme's researchers; and co-ordinated the archiving of interdisciplinary data collections at the UK Data Service and the Environmental Information Data Centre (EIDC). The project also showcased the innovative interdisciplinary methods researchers have applied to their projects.

Archive contribution

The UK Data Archive coordinated the Relu Data Support Service. Partners were the Relu Programme Office at the University of Newcastle and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology at Lancaster.

Principal Investigators: Veerle Van den Eynden, Louise Corti, Yang Yu, Tom Ensom
Funder: Natural Environment Research Council (NERC); Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC); Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC); Scottish Government; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
Dates: January 2005 - September 2010
Contact: Research Data Management