The end is nigh for the three research data agencies, as the Department of Education and Training strategy rolls out the National Research Data Cloud. After months of consultation with digital data experts the new system will be ready to go in July, taking up “existing functions” of the Australian National Data Service, the National eResearch Collaboration Tools and Resources and the Research Data Service. The three present agencies will continue until July next year.

The new system comes out of a recommendation in the National Research Infrastructure Roadmap for data-intensive research management. No, CMM did not know about the plan either – the project appears based on the assumption that if you were not involved you would not be interested.