Introduction

Overall purpose of the section

This section aims to make the data steward capable of assisting research projects in being compliant in relation to handling personal data and understand the basic requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is important for researchers. Depending on institutional and national context, as well as discipline, there may be other experts who are tasked with giving researchers more detailed advice on these issues. However, it is still important to make data stewards aware of the basics, and point to resources that can help them navigate issues in more detail, if needed.

One point of attention for the trainer in advance of this module is that personal data and the GDPR are interpreted slightly differently across European countries. It is advisable to consult your local data protection officer on the material that you are producing and include relevant definitions and examples. Where possible, use the resources that your local data protection officer might have on this topic.

This section has been developed using resources that include a comprehensive course developed by Research Data Netherlands titled, 'GDPR 4 Data Support' (https://danstraining.moodlecloud.com/mod/page/view.php?id=115). Instructors may refer to this course for more in-depth information on the topic, and if they choose to go into more detail on any of the modules or learning objective.

This section is designed as a single integrated module aiming to lead the data steward through the basics of identifying personal data in research settings and an overview of applicable laws (LO1) and specific techniques for preserving privacy and data protection (LO2).