18.12.2020 Good Research Needs Good Data Management

Digitally supported research opens up new research fields and insights. However, this only works if research data can be accessed and used across different systems. Close coordination with users is therefore crucial for the success of research data management and the establishment and expansion of effective infrastructures. On Thursday, 17 December 2020, researchers came together to discuss this topic – at the first virtual plenary of the state initiative HeFDI – Hessian Research Data Infrastructures, a project coordinated by Philipps University of Marburg. In her virtual welcome speech, Science Minister Angela Dorn emphasised the importance of successful research data management.

Good Research Needs Good Data Management

Researchers Entered into Dialogue with Research Data Management at the Virtual HeFDI at Philipps-Universität Marburg.

Good research needs good data management

Researchers entered into dialogue with research data management at the virtual HeFDI at Philipps University.

Digitally supported research opens up new research fields and insights. However, this only works if research data can be accessed and used across different systems. Close coordination with users is therefore crucial for the success of research data management and the establishment and expansion of effective infrastructures. On Thursday, 17 December 2020, researchers came together to discuss this topic – at the first virtual plenary of the state initiative HeFDI – Hessian Research Data Infrastructures, a project coordinated by Philipps University of Marburg. In her virtual welcome speech, Science Minister Angela Dorn emphasised the importance of successful research data management.

 In HeFDI, eleven Hessian universities and the Hessian Library and Information System (HeBIS) network head office work closely together on the development of digital research infrastructures. Since 2016, the participating universities have set up contact points for research data management issues, which offer coordinated and joint services in addition to advice and training. 

 “The Covid pandemic showed it once and for all: scientists working on solutions all over the world need networking. This is done via great quantities of data. In order to find the right points of contact within the data, we need proper research data management,” Dorn said in her video message. “The Hessian State Initiative for Research Data Infrastructures plays a crucial role in this, because it offers excellent networking between universities, but can also provide the interface to national research data infrastructures,” Dorn said, adding: “Because one thing is clear: we need research data for good research and it takes good research to solve the questions of this time. Nothing less is at stake now. That's why I thank the scientists and the HeFDI consortium for actively helping here.”

 “The HeFDI universities take their role in digitisation very seriously and therefore also take a close look at questions of security and responsible data handling when it comes to research data management,” says the President of Philipps University, Prof Dr Katharina Krause.

 At the HeFDI Plenary, researchers were given the opportunity to see examples of successful research data management and to familiarise themselves with the already approved consortia of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI). HeFDI sees itself as part of an overall national research data infrastructure in order to systematically access, network and sustainably utilise the valuable data resources of science and research for the entire German science system.

 Prof Dr Iris Pigeot, Director of the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology at the University of Bremen, also explained in her keynote speech why the all-round call for Data Science is only possible with good, intelligent research data management.

 “New fields of research, synergies, resource efficiency – intelligent research data management opens up entirely new paths to knowledge for science and society,” said Prof Dr Thomas Nauss, Vice President for Information Management at the University of Marburg. “Scientists need professional support to fully exploit their innovation potential and remain successful in international research competition. HeFDI and events like this make a very crucial contribution here,” Nauss said.