eResearch practices, barriers and needs for support: Preliminary study findings from four NSW universities

This paper will present initial findings from a survey that investigates existing technology-enhanced research practices,researchers' readiness to adopt eResearch, their needs and major barriers. The study was conducted as a part of a largerproject which aims to establish researchers' requirements for eResearch infrastructures and support, build researchers'awareness about eResearch potential, and engage with them to co-develop eResearch services. Preliminary results indicate a gap between researchers' positive dispositions, willingness and obvious need to adopt new technology enhanced research practices and their limited awareness and utilisation of eResearch and eResearch bodies. By offeringsome key preliminary findings in this presentation we have two aims: a) to shed some light into current researcher technology-enhanced practices, needs and constraints; and b) to open a discussion about the importance of taking thesepractices seriously when developing new research infrastructures and services. We argue that lack of awareness of researchers' needs and limited engagement with researchers in co-development of infrastructures may not only disenfranchisemany researchers, but may also actively discourage short- and long-term uptake of eResearch technologies.