2nd NFDIxCS Symposium in Potsdam - Advancing FAIR and Reproducible Research

Fri Apr 04 2025

DataPLANT recently took part in the 2nd NFDIxCS Symposium, held in Potsdam. This event brought together experts from Computer Science and related disciplines to exchange ideas, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and drive forward the goals of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI).

The symposium featured a rich program focused on improving Research Data Management (RDM), with discussions around emerging tools like the RDMC and approaches to achieving FAIR data publications a core objective of our consortium.

DataPLANT was actively involved throughout the event. We contributed with a talk highlighting our work on ARC (Annotated Research Contexts) and especially on ARC RO-Crates, and the DataHUB — key components of our ecosystem supporting structured, reusable research data. Our presentation focused on how these elements facilitate better organization, sharing, and reuse of scientific outputs.

In addition, we participated in a panel discussion on FAIR RDM, where we explored both the opportunities and the challenges of implementing FAIR principles in real-world research settings.

Another focus of our contributions was the Galaxy platform, directly accessible from the DataHUB, which we showcased as a powerful tool for working with structured data containers like ARC RO-Crates. We demonstrated how Galaxy can be integrated into RDM workflows to enhance reproducibility, transparency, and automation.

Reproducibility remains a central challenge in data-driven science. In our discussions, we emphasized how concepts like ARC RO-Crate and frameworks like Galaxy help address these challenges—by supporting workflow reuse, tracking provenance, and ensuring that data and etadata remain tightly linked throughout the research process. Overall, the symposium provided a valuable space for dialogue and collaboration.