Great interest in exchange on research data management in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

As in the rest of the country, the topic of data management is of great relevance for researchers in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In December, around 80 experts from universities and research institutions in the state came together in Rostock to discuss the everyday challenges of data management and the establishment of a state initiative. The event was organised by Rostock University Library,, the Datenkompass M-V and representatives of the National Research Data Infrastructure.

On the political side, the networking meeting was enriched by two ministries from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: the Ministry of Science, Culture, Federal and European Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior, Building and Digitalisation. Christian Pegel, Minister of the Interior, Building and Digitisation, was present and emphasised the urgency of good research data management and the necessary networking of research institutions in the state in his welcoming address.

In his welcoming address, Christian Pegel, Minister of the Interior, Building and Digitalisation, emphasised the urgency of good research data management.

Robert Leppin/UniversitätRostock

The event also provided an excellent opportunity to deepen nationwide collaboration between the consortia and other research institutions. The participants took the opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss common problems in the management of research data. The aim was also to drive forward the establishment of a state initiative.

Many research institutions already active in NFDI consortia

After further welcoming addresses by Professor Dagmar Waltemath from the University Medical Centre Greifswald and Professor Ralf Ludwig from the University of Rostock, the NFDI consortia in which Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's research institutions are involved were presented to the participants. 

Dabei stellte Sarah Fischer von NFDI4Biodiversity das Konsortium und einige seiner Pilotprojekte vor, die sie zusammen mit weiteren Kollegen als sogenannte Use-Case-Managerin betreut. Weiterhin bot sie Teilnehmenden Gelegenheit, ihren Arbeitgeber, das Forschungsinstitut für Nutztierbiologie (FBN), sowie die Universität Rostock näher kennenzulernen.

Sarah Fischer presented NFDI4Biodiversity and some of the network's pilot projects, which she manages together with other colleagues as a use case manager.

Robert Leppin/Universität Rostock

The following other consortia were also presented:

• NFDI4Cat, presented by Prof Matthias Beller from the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis e.V. & Dr Mark Dörr from the University of Greifswald
• NFDI4Health, presented by Prof Dagmar Waltemath from the University Medical Centre Greifswald
• NFDI4BioImage, presented by Dr Markus Becker from the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology e.V. (INP)
• NFDI4Immuno, presented by Dr Robert Kammerer from the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI)
• NFDI4Memory, presented by Prof Stefan Kroll from the Rostock University Library

In addition, projects for the development and support of the infrastructure as well as the state initiatives in research data management from Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony could be familiarised with.

Ultimately, it became clear that many institutions face similar challenges when it comes to research data management. An observation that Prof Dagmar Waltemath from Greifwald University Medicine commented on with the words: "And that's why we need to join forces and drive this forward under the umbrella of Datenkompass M-V." The initiative Datenkompass M-V aims to develop a strategy for a data expertise network in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern region by the end of 2024 and to pool the resources of academic institutions in order to provide researchers and industry partners with more targeted and better support in research data management.

Prof Dr Ralf Ludwig from the University of Rostock spoke about the future of the NFDI.

Robert Leppin/UniversitätRostock

Poster presentation offered opportunities for intensive dialogue

Ein wichtiger Bestandteil des Treffens bildete die auch Postersession, an der sich viele Teilnehmende aus Hochschulen, Forschungseinrichtungen und NFDI-Konsortien beteiligten und untereinander näher kennenlernen konnten. Als Vertreterin von NFDI4Biodiversity präsentierte Sarah Fischer hier die ersten Ansätze der Standardisierung in der Nutztierforschung, die mittels des Biodiversitätsstandards ABCD erreicht werden soll. Diese Ideen fanden vor allem in Instituten, die sich ebenfalls mit Nutztieren auseinandersetzen Anklang, aber auch andere Erfolge des NFDI4Biodiversity-Konsortium, wie der Lebendige Atlas der Natur Deutschlands sowie der Podcast "Rechtsdschungel", der über das Management von Biodiversitäts- und Umweltdaten aufklärt, wurden interessiert zur Kenntnis genommen. 

The well-attended poster session provided an opportunity to get to know other institutions in the state and to network with each other.

Robert Leppin/UniversitätRostock

Lively exchange on the establishment of a state initiative

In order to join forces and expertise in the federal state and promote sustainable research data management, the organisers of the networking meeting would like to encourage the establishment of a state initiative. In an interactive workshop, experiences and needs were compiled and strategic aspects of research data management were discussed. The challenges discussed at the networking meeting, which are shared by many stakeholders, can also serve as an inventory and basis for further work.

In an interactive workshop, experiences and requirements for the establishment of a state initiative for research data management were compiled.

Robert Leppin/UniversitätRostock

Desire for further networking meetings

At the end of the networking meeting, there was a positive mood and a shared certainty that the outstanding challenges can best be solved in a joint national initiative. The participants agreed to organise further meetings in order to drive forward the strategic planning of such an initiative together and also to exchange information in greater depth on topics relevant to research data that concern many participants in their daily work.

Great interest: Around 80 experts from universities and research institutions came together in Rostock.

Robert Leppin/Universität Rostock