Research data in RLP

RDM Days at Mainz University of Applied Sciences

“Data is the new oil.” Mathematician Clive Humby coined this phrase in 2006, and his colleague Michael Palmer from the advertising industry added that – like oil – it only develops its value in a refined form, in other words, after processing. To make scientific data a core resource of the 21st century, the scientific community is working on implementing research data management (RDM). The aim is to make research data easy to find and reuse for new research questions, among other things.

Mainz University of Applied Sciences invites RDM stakeholders from Rhineland-Palatinate (RLP) and other interested parties to attend Research Data Management: Getting to Know – Thinking Ahead on March 7 and 8, 2024. The in-person networking event seeks to identify synergies and facilitate collaboration so that we can work together to shape the future of the RDM landscape in Rhineland-Palatinate.

“The importance of the quality of research data is continuously increasing, not least due to developments in important fields of technology such as artificial intelligence. The fact that Rhineland-Palatinate’s scientific institutions are already on the right track is demonstrated not only by their broad participation in consortia within the National Research Data Infrastructure, but also by their willingness to share this knowledge with others and to network. These RDM Days are an important platform to provide an opportunity for this exchange,” says Dr. Denis Alt, State Secretary at the Ministry of Science and Health.

Prof. Dr. Susanne Weissman, President of Mainz University of Applied Sciences: “Research activities at the universities of applied sciences in Rhineland-Palatinate are on the rise. The impending right to award doctorates will further strengthen this development. In interdisciplinary cooperation and in collaboration with external partners such as companies and public authorities, the universities of applied sciences are contributing innovations to society. The shared use of research data is essential and necessitates the development of a common infrastructure and uniform standards. The requirements for research data management are also on the increase within the scientific community. To support researchers at Mainz University of Applied Sciences and in the entire Rhineland-Palatinate research landscape, a cross-institutional RDM landscape is needed. Mainz University of Applied Sciences is providing the impetus for this with its RDM Days, which are made possible by the support of the Ministry of Science and Health.”

The RDM Days provide a forum for exchanging information about ongoing projects, common ground and challenges in the RDM landscape in Rhineland-Palatinate. The aim is to network stakeholders and institutions and to foster collaboration between scientific institutions, companies and authorities to generate important insights for the benefit of society, the economy and the political sphere. All Rhineland-Palatinate universities and universities of applied sciences, NFDI consortia, RDM projects, research institutions, authorities, companies and any other interested parties are cordially invited to attend.

Responsible and sustainable handling of research data is of crucial importance for the research of today and tomorrow. Accessible, well-documented and reusable data is essential. The German Research Foundation (DFG) has already included standards for quality-assured handling of research data in its guidelines for good scientific practice. The European Union is also increasingly implementing guidelines to make Europe a world leader in scientific data. Universities, university hospitals, universities of applied sciences and non-university research institutions all rely on the development of RDM infrastructures. In addition to technical services, this also includes the development of expertise to enable innovative and excellent research to continue.

The German National Research Data Infrastructure Association (NFDI) at the federal level and the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) at the European level are tackling this challenge. In Rhineland-Palatinate, RDM experts have been working on this development for years in various initiatives, NFDI involvement and consortia, as well as in projects. Collaboration between stakeholders from different domains and institutions is essential.

The RDM Days are funded by the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Science and Health and hosted by Mainz University of Applied Sciences. The event is organized by representatives of the following projects/institutions:

Program
You can find the up-to-date program on the university website of the RDM Days (in German) here: www.hs-mainz.de/forschung/forschung-transfer/projekte/fdm-thementage/

Registration
You can register using the eventbrite platform here: www.hs-mainz.de/forschung/forschung-transfer/projekte/fdm-thementage/

If you have any questions or need further information, please contact