Posted January 29, 2026 by Office of Research and Innovation
The following is a guest column from Alian Kasabian, research data and security liaison with the Office of Research and Innovation. The “Year of Data” is a yearlong campaign to bring attention to campus resources and educational resources related to research data. The campaign kicked off in September and runs through April 2026, with monthly topics related to research data management and the research data life cycle.
The Year of Data theme for February is “Playing Well with Others,” which covers many activities and aligns with the University of Nebraska strategic plan theme of Partnerships Across Nebraska and Beyond. We want you to accomplish your goals, whether you have an idea and are seeking collaborators; coordinating with students, mentors and peers; or flirting (or in a long-term relationship) with FAIR and open science.
The Research Data website includes tips and resources for collaboration. Below, there is helpful information about internal funding opportunities, federal agency resources, data transfer considerations and Love Data Week events.
Internal funding opportunities
The Office of Research and Innovation is accepting proposals for multiple types of collaboration grants. Whether you are starting with an idea, or are part of a well-established team, faculty principal investigators are welcome to apply. The next deadline is April 1, but the Team Formation and Ideation Grant applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Federal resources
The National Science Foundation has information and resources for those conducting, or interested in, convergence research. Convergence research involves substantial collaboration across disciplines to solve research problems. Besides related funding mechanisms, NSF hosts an ongoing lecture series with related topics and lessons from the field. The National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health published a helpful collaboration team science guide, which is not specific to health research, with tips for every stage of collaboration.
Data transfer
When collaborating with others, being thoughtful about how you manage your data helps everyone. Per policy, research data associated with research conducted at UNL needs to stay at UNL, but there are instances where copies or results need to travel. Before packing a suitcase for your data, you will want to check some things. First, does the data fall under export control? Second, are there any contractual or regulatory limitations that apply to adding users, movement or sharing? If the data is non-public or has restrictions, you may need a data use agreement, data transfer agreement or material transfer agreement. Whether data is coming or going, there are processes that may take time to complete, so don’t wait until the last minute. The Office of Research Compliance, Integrity and Security has helpful information on traveling with research data.
Celebrating data
Every year around Valentine’s Day, we celebrate data, data science and data management with Love Data Week. This nerdiest of holidays is Feb. 9-13, and you can find related events through the UNL Libraries, peer organizations from the Big Ten Academic Alliance and the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research. From foundational data skills, to managing your own data in ways that make it easier to work with others, to learning how our peers use tools for better productivity, coordination and collaboration, you will likely learn something new in these sessions. (A tip if you dive into the ICPSR list: Pay attention to time zones.) Finally, in other news, the Research Data Life Cycle Micro-credential is now live in Canvas. Early explorers should let us know if they encounter any issues.
