Once finalized, a link to the toolkit will be added to this blog post and the toolkit will be available on the RDM Program website
At a university as expansive and interdisciplinary as UC Berkeley, research collaboration can be both an incredible opportunity and a significant challenge. From mismatched file storage systems to unspoken cultural norms, research teams often find themselves reinventing the wheel or struggling to move forward when working across departments or disciplines.
That’s where the Research IT Collaboration Toolkit comes in.
When asked what comes to mind with the phrase research collaboration toolkit, Erin Foster and Scarlett Sands-Bliss, two leaders behind the initiative, both emphasized one thing: a set of practical, reusable resources to help research teams work more efficiently, transparently, and inclusively. While both played key roles, Bliss has been the driving force behind the toolkit — leading its development, curating its content, and ensuring continued momentum.
"It's a collection of resources that enables people across different types of research and disciplines to work together more effectively," Foster explained. Bliss added that the idea came from seeing researchers, especially those just starting out, face unnecessary barriers because of siloed practices and a lack of shared infrastructure.
So what can you actually find in the toolkit? Templates for lab handbooks, onboarding and offboarding checklists, and open science agreements are among the key offerings. These are designed not just to reduce administrative burden, but also to foster a culture of clarity and inclusion. “If things aren’t written down,” Bliss said, “new students or staff often feel like they're missing something, even when they’re not. Documenting practices removes that guesswork.”
The toolkit also includes best practices around version control, naming conventions, and collaborative workflows, many of which are drawn from real research teams who have implemented them successfully. Foster and Bliss emphasized that small organizational decisions, like where data is stored or how access is managed, can have a significant impact on whether collaboration runs smoothly.
"Communication is one of the biggest obstacles," Foster said. "Having clear, shared expectations makes remote or hybrid collaboration much more sustainable." Bliss agreed, pointing out how intentional documentation and mentorship structures can improve inclusion, especially for new researchers who may feel out of place in academic settings.
Open science is another central focus. The toolkit provides guidance on choosing open-access journals, sharing data and code responsibly, and incorporating reproducibility into everyday workflows. "Publishing in an open-access journal can cost over $3,000," Bliss explained. "If you can write that into a grant, great, but even having a team policy around open science makes a big difference."
Both Foster and Bliss emphasized that the toolkit is meant to be a starting point, not a static resource. They hope to see it evolve over time with input from the broader research community. “Whether you're a new faculty member setting up your lab or part of a team with practices worth sharing, we would love to hear from you,” Bliss said.
Anyone interested in contributing can contact the Research Data Management team or attend their office hours. Collaboration begins with conversation, and this toolkit was built to support exactly that.