DataPLANT Participating in the University-Wide CDF and Data Steward Meeting

Tue Feb 11 2025

Yesterday DataPLANT took part in the university-wide Data Steward meeting organized by the Central Data Facility (CDF), which got inaugurated during the last year. This was a well attended RDM event, where data managers of different faculties and members of various NFDI consortia such as DataPLANT, MatWerk, BIOIMAGE and Text+ gathered to discuss key topics in research data management. A central focus was the role of the CDF in bundling NFDI activities (providing services, teaching and helpdesks) and serving as a main point of contact for data stewardship efforts.

One of the primary discussions revolved around structuring outreach and training initiatives provided by NFDI consortia and local entities. These activities aim to support researchers across different domains over the complete data life cycle, particularly in grant applications and project execution. Participants also engaged in conceptual work on distributing responsibilities efficiently across various institutional levels. The CDF can take a hinge role bringing together the various activities and complement them to benefit researchers of all scientific domains.

Further topics included strategies for handling sensitive data (e.g. through infrastructure certification of resources at the computer center, participant in DataPLANT), fostering exchange among different types of data stewards, and growing awareness within the university of the NFDI as a whole. The meeting also played a key role in shaping the job description of data stewards and enhancing communication channels within the University of Freiburg. The CDF is intended to continue to advance the discussion on data stewardship, reinforcing collaboration between researchers, institutions, and NFDI consortia to improve research data management practices as well as providing information, qualification and teaching.