Coordinated research data management in Baden-Württemberg

Driven by the progress of computer technology, the scientific processes of observation and analysis are changing fundamentally. In many areas, completely new predictions and 
conclusions are possible using computer-aided methods. This often results in large or complex amounts of data, the efficient handling of which, however, often occurs only marginally in the study of a subject discipline. Finding, converting, analyzing and archiving data or precisely documenting and publishing scientific processing are examples of requirements that grow rapidly with the complexity of the underlying data set. Providing solutions for such and similar requirements is the core task of institutional research data management (RDM).

Among others, two scientific projects (bwFDM-Communities and bwFDM-Info) were carried out at KIT to support researchers in RDM. In the bwFDM-Communities project, the needs of the different disciplines were surveyed and analyzed. In the bwFDM-Info project (I and II), free information material on RDM was initially made available to researchers on an information portal. The focus of the platform forschungsdaten.info was on the previously analyzed needs of the scientists (including RDM tools and tutorials), best practice examples from the specialist communities and an easily manageable reusability of the materials.

Another goal of the project was to establish a sustainable operation of the platform, which was ensured by a self-commitment of the universities of Heidelberg, Hohenheim, Konstanz and KIT as well as by the acquisition of new editorial staff members from Hessen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Niedersachsen, Thüringen and Sachsen. One of the project's successes was the establishment of the E-Science-Days in Heidelberg, which brought together RDM actors in Germany, increased the visibility of the platform within Germany, and linked the e-science projects in Baden-Württemberg.

bwFDM-Info I and II as well as bw2FDM were or are funded by Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts (MWK).