Assessing the Landscape of Research Computing and Data Support: The 2020 RCD Capabilities Model Community Dataset

We describe the first Research Computing and Data Capabilities Model Community Dataset, aggregating the assessments of 41 Higher Education Institutions. These assessments were completed using the 1.0 version of the Research Computing and Data Capabilities Model (RCD CM), over a period of several months in the Spring and Summer of 2020. The RCD CM allows organizations to self-evaluate across a range of RCD services and capabilities for supporting research, leveraging a shared vocabulary to describe RCD support. The Model supports a range of stakeholders and provides structured input to guide strategic planning and enable benchmarking relative to peer institutions. This Community Dataset provides insight into the current state of support for RCD across the community and in a number of key sub-communities. The dataset shows stark differences between Public and Private institutions, between institutions with a larger and smaller share of national funding, etc. In many cases, the patterns in the data confirm common perceptions about support across the community, but the dataset provides a quantitative baseline for understanding current RCD support, as well as granular insights to groups of institutions that are seeking to collaborate on shared solutions and strategies to advance RCD support. Over time, longitudinal data will provide additional insight into trends, and a means of evaluating the impact of programs designed to increase RCD support.