New Zealand Research Information System Update
Issue # 2

There’s been a lot happening in the NZRIS programme over the past month. 

Good progress is being made on the NZRIS system build and we’re looking forward to releasing the first version of this exciting new system later this year.

Here’s a quick overview of what’s happened since our last update:

• The NZRIS data specification has been released, along with supporting materials such as FAQs, an input spreadsheet and code sets
• We’re producing new material to help explain the data specifications in a non-technical way
• The chairperson of the new NZRIS Stewardship and Oversight Group (NSOG), Professor Richard Blaikie of the University of Otago, has been confirmed
• Our Universities Working Group is up and running
• We are developing a new on-boarding approach for organisations connected to NZRIS that aims to help with business readiness as well as technical readiness. 

Keep reading for more information about what’s been happening.

To stay up to date, subscribe to the newsletter, or if you simply want to get in touch, email us any time at nzris@mbie.govt.nz

Simple guide to the data specification available soon

You don’t have to be technically-minded to understand what data NZRIS will hold. To make it easy, we’re creating a new information sheet and infographic that outline at a high level what data will be in NZRIS, who provides what data and what data is in scope for each phase.

There are two key things to know:

• The information held in NZRIS will build up over time. The first version of NZRIS that will be released later this year is only the first step in the journey. As a result, the primary focus of the first release is on data that is already publically available or which would be made available under the Official Information Act.
• Data in the first two phases of NZRIS is only one half of the picture. The initial releases of NZRIS will just come from our first four funders – the Health Research Council, the Royal Society Te Apārangi, MBIE and MPI.

We expect this material to be ready soon, and will let you know once it’s available.

It will give us the ability to express the value and benefits of research, through the use of good data to inform our narrative. It will also help reduce the reporting burden on research organisations – data will only need to be reported once, but it can be used often.”

Professor Blaikie also says the way MBIE has involved the research sector in the development of NZRIS has worked well.

“Sector involvement in a system like NZRIS is critical. There’s no point in developing something that doesn’t end up meeting the needs of the sector it’s designed to serve. MBIE has done well to set up cross-sector forums such as the Funder-Researcher Working Group and the new oversight group, to ensure that the sector is involved at each step of the way.”

Professor Blaikie says the new group will be responsible for providing the guiding direction for NZRIS in terms of data management, and ensuring that there is strong sector input to its future development.

Currently Professor Blaikie is working with MBIE to confirm membership of the cross-sector group – and we’ll announce the members in our next newsletter.

In the meantime, you can find out more about the role of NSOG on our website.

Universities Working Group update

We’ve established an NZRIS Universities Working Group to ensure that future versions of NZRIS will take into account the needs and requirements of universities as NZRIS research organisations.

The first meeting of the group took place in early May, with agreement on a work programme designed to understand what changes would need to take place for universities to have NZRIS-ready data, and look at how NZRIS can deliver tangible benefits to universities and other research organisations such as Crown Research Institutes (CRIs).

Three-stage approach to preparing for NZRIS

Ensuring that organisations are well-supported throughout the on-boarding process is a priority for the NZRIS programme.

In addition to data readiness, organisations need to have a clear understanding of what’s involved and why they are joining NZRIS, as well as ensuring their business processes and systems are also ready.

That’s why we’ve developed a three-stage on-boarding approach that looks at the “why” as well as the “how”. We’re still finalising the details of our approach, but are keen to provide an overview of how it will look so that organisations that aren’t part of Phase 1 can see what support they’ll receive.

Here’s what the approach will cover:

Stage 1: Introduction to NZRIS
This stage provides an introduction to NZRIS. It involves working through what NZRIS means, and ensuring organisatons have the information they need to make the decision to be part of it.

Stage 2: Business and technical readiness
This stage is about getting everything in place so that an organisation can start submitting data to NZRIS. There are two key aspects to this stage: improving knowledge and understanding of NZRIS, and getting systems ready. The first aspect involves deepening the organisation's knowledge of how NZRIS works, understanding its roles and responsibilities as a data provider (such as responsibilities in relation to confidentiality of data) and what communications may be needed with your stakeholders. The second aspect involves scoping and matching data, developing processes and completing a data supply agreement.

Stage 3: Submission and ongoing improvement of data quality  
This stage focuses on submission of data to NZRIS and also looks at ongoing improvements to the quality and quantity of the data submitted over time.