In this introductory report, we provide some brief background on the emergence of RDM as a focus for research support services within higher education, and present a simple framework describing three major components of the RDM service space:

• Education—educating researchers and other stakeholders on the importance, and in some cases, the necessity, of responsibly managing their data and making arrangements for its long-term curation

• Expertise—providing decision support and customized solutions for researchers working through specific research data management problems

• Curation—supplying technical infrastructure and related services that support data management throughout the research cycle