This project tackles bottlenecks in sharing sensitive research data in the social sciences and humanities. A key feature of this initiative is a series of three in-person workshops, designed to give researchers the tools and insights needed to share sensitive data responsibly. 

Two partners in the Research Data Netherlands (RDNL) consortium, SURF and DANS are teaming up with Leiden University, Erasmus University, ODISSEI and the Promovendi Netwerk Nederland (PNN) to launch the ‘Beyond personal data’ project. This project is a 12-month initiative funded by the TDCC-SSH and it aims to address specific data-sharing bottlenecks encountered by researchers in the social sciences and humanities (SSH). With a focus on non-personal sensitive data, the project provides practical guidance on FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data practices, especially in areas where ethical, commercial, or logistical constraints make data sharing challenging.

In-Person Workshops

A key feature of this initiative is a series of three in-person workshops, designed to give researchers the tools and insights needed to share sensitive data responsibly. The sessions are scheduled for between March and November 2025 and each session will address its own unique challenges. 

Workshop 1: Hard to Share Data in the Social Sciences and Humanities and using the Secure ANalysis Environment (SANE) 

27 March, 13.00-17.00, The Hague
This session introduces types of non-personal sensitive data in the Social Sciences and Humanities, including a range of different case studies. It presents the Secure Analysis Environment (SANE), demonstrating how sensitive data can be made accessible for inspection and analysis without allowing downloads. The session includes an interactive demonstration, providing researchers with a clear understanding of how SANE supports controlled-data access.

More details and registration: https://dans.knaw.nl/en/agenda/workshop-hard-to-share-data-in-the-sssh-and-using-sane/ 

Workshop 2: Sharing field notes 

Date and registration coming soon!
Focusing on discipline-agnostic practices, this workshop offers hands-on training for sharing analogue and digital field notes, with specific case studies in archaeology and sociology. It addresses different data forms, such as sketches, photos, and field drawings, helping researchers assess the best ways to share these types of data.

Workshop 3: Ethics of sharing fieldwork data

Date and registration coming soon!
This final workshop covers ethical considerations in data sharing with emphasis on the so-called CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance and on data sovereignty for community data. Through interactive sessions, researchers will explore best practices for working collaboratively and ethically with local communities.

Outputs and resources for ongoing learning

After the workshops, RDNL will take care to publish the training materials as well as supporting materials with an open license to allow wide sharing and reuse by researchers as well as by research data professionals, who can include these materials in their own training sessions:

• Detailed session plans, slide decks, and exercise instructions for each workshop.
• A guidebook for trainers to support ongoing use of the materials.
• In addition, content guides summarising key insights from each workshop will be available for download, providing an accessible resource for researchers unable to attend.

The TDCC-SSH supports this project to promote awareness and practice around FAIR principles, with the aim of reducing obstacles for data sharing. This project is an opportunity for RDNL to complement its services for data support staff with direct support for early-career researchers and FAIR data practices in SSH disciplines, empowering researchers to navigate and share sensitive data effectively.

We encourage you to register for Workshop 1 and join us on 27th March. For questions and/or to express your interest in workshop 2 or 3, contact Dr Deborah Thorpe at DANS at deborah.thorpe@dans.knaw.nl 

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This publication is part of the project ‘Beyond personal data: a new initiative to support early-career researchers with hard-to-share data’ with file number ICT.TDCC.001.002, which is (partly) financed by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) via the Thematic Digital Competence Centre Social Sciences & Humanities (TDCC-SSH) 

Picture by Shubham Dhage on Unsplash