Data stewardship

About data stewardship and FRAME-DS

Data stewardship means managing data responsibly throughout its lifecycle. Within Trusted Research Environments (TREs), this work spans activities like governance, quality checks, data management, technical and analytical work, metadata, researcher support and disclosure control. These activities can be spread across different roles or teams, and are not always consistently recognised or supported.

The FRAME-DS (Framework for Recognising Applied Data Stewardship) project aims to develop a framework for recognising data stewardship practice and for supporting staff development in TREs.

FRAME-DS is funded by the Careers and Skills for Data-driven Research (CaSDaR) Network+ and is led by Research Data Scotland (RDS) in partnership with the electronic Data Research and Innovation Service (eDRIS) at Public Health Scotland.

Running from June 2026 to February 2027, FRAME-DS combines an evidence review, staff input and collaborative workshops to develop and pilot a framework and associated implementation toolkit.

Read our explainer to learn more about data stewardship.

Our work and impact

The FRAME-DS project aims to build a shared understanding of data stewardship and make the contributions of data stewardship professionals more visible across the data ecosystem. By producing a framework that can be applied across different TREs, the project seeks to help staff describe their expertise, support professional development conversations and help organisations identify training and support needs for data stewardship professionals.

RDS is leading and coordinating the FRAME-DS project, working with eDRIS to bring together evidence from existing frameworks, organisational job descriptions and staff experience. We are also gathering views from the Scottish Safe Haven Network, other TREs and professional networks to understand how data stewardship is recognised and supported across different organisations.

So far, we have:

• Reviewed existing skills frameworks and job descriptions.

• Launched a survey to gather views on stewardship activities, recognition and professional development.

• Mapped data stewardship activities and responsibilities across roles.

• Developed an emerging framework covering eight areas of practice.

Next, we will use survey findings and stakeholder workshops to refine the framework and develop a supporting toolkit. The toolkit will explain how to use the framework, how to evaluate individual and organisational performance, and where to find other relevant resources. We will test the framework and toolkit with RDS and eDRIS staff to assess their usefulness, clarity and fit with existing ways of working.

The aim is to produce practical resources that other TREs can adapt to their own settings. We will share findings and lessons learned at the CaSDaR Data Steward Conference and Sensitive Data Skills Summit, and through relevant professional networks.

Find out more

To learn more about FRAME-DS and get involved, please get in touch.