Collaborative Project Support

DSSV staff have the experience to support a wide variety of projects. Examples include:

• Conducting exploratory or statistical data analysis
• Building predictive or machine learning models
• Incorporating AI tools into the research process
• Creating static or interactive visualizations for exploration, publication, or the web
• Writing or improving existing code or packages
• Designing data analysis approaches
• Creating tools and scripts to facilitate data collection
• Extracting data from documents or websites
• Developing text analysis models
• Identifying important variables and conducting feature engineering
• Replicating data analysis components of existing research studies
• Preparing data and code for publication

See our project portfolio for select examples of past projects.

When a project requires the development of innovative data science, statistical, computer science, or other methods that would constitute publishable advances in those fields, we will help connect you with other Northwestern researchers who may be able to collaborate on your research.

The DSSV team can build custom websites to interact with and visualize your data. For more general websites to share research outputs or information about your group, please contact the Media and Technology Innovation team or create one yourself with NUsites.

Applications for project support are evaluated by DSSV staff using several criteria.

• Outcomes: What measurable research outcomes will the project produce?
• DSSV Impact: Will research be significantly advanced through DSSV involvement in the project?
• Data: Is the data available currently, or is data collection the project's primary outcome? If you plan to collect data in the future, please consider waiting to apply until you have the data available.
• Skill fit: Do available DSSV staff have the skills necessary for the project to be successful?
• Scope: Is the proposed project achievable with the resources and time available?
• Faculty engagement: Is a faculty member actively engaged in the research project?

All researchers are encouraged to apply for DSSV support regardless of funding availability.

Costs for a project may include DSSV staff or student time, computing resources, or other tools necessary for the project. Discussion of the financial details is part of the project planning phase for accepted projects. Projects with existing funding are expected to cover at least some of the costs. For projects without funding, we can explore options for applying for funding when needed. Researchers are expected to bear the costs for any infrastructure, such as cloud computing services or data storage, needed beyond the end of the project.

Funding from Northwestern IT and the Office of the Provost enables the DSSV Collaborative Project Support Service.

Projects are managed from application through turnover to keep work on track.

• Application: DSSV reviews proposals for projects on an ongoing basis.
• Application review: Expect to hear a response to project proposals within two weeks.
• Initial decision: After reviewing applications and staff availability, we may:
  • Set up a meeting to get more information. For example, we may need to see the data before estimating the time and resources required for your project.
  • Set up a meeting to scope a project plan or agreement. Proposals for Research Product Projects that would benefit from additional development may pursued as Exploratory Projects instead.
  • Refer your project to another organization on campus.
  • Encourage you to apply again in the future when we have more capacity.
  • Decline your project.
• Project plan development: We will meet to agree on the project's scope, resources, cost, timeline, expected outcomes, and risks.

• Project work: Most projects last two-12 months. We work to break larger projects into smaller parts with clear outcomes.
• Project turnover: At the end of the project, we will meet to ensure your research team has the documentation and information you need to take ownership of and manage any project outputs. We will also discuss plans for completing any remaining work.

What happens when the project ends?

DSSV staff will document their work and deliver any code, data, and other project resources to your research team. You will be responsible for ongoing maintenance and compute or data resource costs. As part of the project turnover, we will discuss plans for any minimal follow-up work needed beyond the end of the project, such as manuscript production or review.

I have restricted data. Can you still help?

Yes. We will need to review your data use agreement or other specific restrictions to determine how we can collaborate. You may need to amend any data use agreement or IRB protocols to include DSSV staff supporting your project. Our team is trained in data security practices and can access secure storage and compute resources.

Will you do the work on my project for me?

DSSV staff will write code as needed to conduct analysis, create visualizations, explore data, and perform other agreed-upon data science, statistics, visualization, or software development work that is part of the project. However, projects are collaborative, and active participation from the project lead and other research team members is expected and essential for success. We will develop the specific expectations for each project together at the start. Please see our Partnership Guidelines.

How can I acknowledge work by DSSV team members?

Please see our Authorship and Acknowledgment Guidelines. We also appreciate any testimonials you may be willing to share about the impact of DSSV services on your research. Authorship, acknowledgments, and testimonials help us communicate the value of DSSV services for the Northwestern research community.

Can you help with larger projects that require dedicated support?

Possibly. When funding is available to cover salary and benefits, we may be able to dedicate DSSV staff time to a project for a sustained period. We are always happy to discuss possibilities for writing support for DSSV staff into grant proposals. Please get in touch via nuit_rcds@northwestern.edu to discuss possible arrangements.

I have another question. Who should I ask?

Please email nuit_rcds@northwestern.edu to get in touch with DSSV leadership.