Transfer of Science or Research, Cooperation agreements

Karlsruhe, July 18, 2024 – This is new: for the first time, a federal state is relying on RADAR to make its research data available centrally and sustainably in a cross-university network. The research data repository developed by FIZ Karlsruhe is now being used in the joint project "Institutionalized and Sustainable Research Data Management in Brandenburg" (IN-FDM-BB) and is hosted at the University of Potsdam. In future, it will be available to all public universities in Brandenburg.

It is no longer a secret that cross-institutional cooperation is an important basis for successful research data management (RDM). Of course, the domain-oriented network "National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI)" should be mentioned here first and foremost; independently of this, there were already some regional networks that have grown to utilize important synergy effects. In Brandenburg, one such regional network is now breaking new ground: the joint project "IN-FDM-BB: Institutionalized and sustainable research data management in Brandenburg", which includes the eight research universities of the federal state. The advantages of this network are obvious: the individual expertise of the respective universities is pooled and enables a content-related and infrastructural exchange on an equal footing.

The good news for FIZ Karlsruhe: IN-FDM-BB has opted for the RADAR research data repository. RADAR is already established as a service throughout Germany and combines many FDM functionalities tailored to the needs of researchers that would otherwise have to be developed and operated in often laborious detail. This means that the joint project can continue to focus on building up local expertise at the individual universities, maximizing reach and networking and knowledge transfer between the research institutions. Through the use of RADAR, the project also provides the first statewide use of joint and cross-university IT and RDM services.

One central repository solution for the individual needs of partner universities

The fact that RADAR will be used as a cross-disciplinary service for archiving and publishing research data when no suitable subject-specific repository exists is a first for both the repository itself and the state of Brandenburg as regards its statewide use. FIZ Karlsruhe is currently setting up a local RADAR instance at the University of Potsdam, which will be operated exclusively on the university's own IT infrastructure. At the same time, the FIZ team is developing numerous new functionalities for the RADAR software in order to make it flexible enough to meet project requirements. In this way, a previously local instance can be used statewide: al Brandenburg partner universities in the project network have access to the repository and can still adapt it if necessary. In addition, the individual partner universities can present their own research output on individual data publication lists in line with their own corporate design. The provider of the state-wide research data portal is the University of Potsdam, which concludes contracts with the individual partner universities and stores all research data centrally in its archive repository.

Incidentally, RADAR not only offers the advantage of numerous adaptive interfaces to other services such as RDMO (Research Data Management Organiser) - the FIZ repository is also open source software.

"The use of RADAR in Brandenburg is a pioneering pilot for a state-wide use of corresponding research data services," says Prof. Dr. Wolfram Horstmann, President & CEO of FIZ Karlsruhe. "With this unique scenario, we are creating a basis that will certainly be important for other state initiatives, too."

Of course, the first Brandenburg-wide RDM solution will be presented in an appropriate setting: At the 25th annual conference of the German Initiative for Network Information (DINI) e.V. on September 18 and 19, 2024 at the University of Potsdam, representatives from FIZ Karlsruhe and the University of Potsdam will participate under the motto "Shared Infrastructures for Open Science" to present this pioneering model for cooperative and sustainable research data management within the scope of a workshop. To participate in the conference, register at https://dini.de/veranstaltungen/jahrestagungen/25-dini-jahrestagung#c4582 by August 26, 2024.

More information is available on the RADAR web page of FIZ Karlsruhe ( https://www.fiz-karlsruhe.de/de/produkte-und-dienstleistungen/radar). Further information on the project „Institutionalized and sustainable research data management in Brandenburg“ can be found on the website of the project network https://fdm-bb.de/ueber-das-projekt-2/. Curious to learn more? Kerstin Soltau of FIZ Karlsruhe will be pleased to answer all your questions on RADAR at info@radar-service.eu.

FIZ Karlsruhe – Leibniz Institute for Information Infrastructure is a not-for-profit limited liability company. As one of the largest information infrastructure institutions in Germany, we have the public mission to provide researchers and scientists with scientific information and to develop the appropriate products and services. To this end, we edit and index large data volumes from manifold sources, develop and operate innovative information services and e-research solutions, and carry out research projects of our own. FIZ Karlsruhe is a member of the Leibniz Association which comprises more than 95 institutions involved in research activities and/or the development of scientific infrastructure. For more information, please visit https://www.fiz-karlsruhe.de

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