Witten/Herdecke University becomes a member of the National Research Data Infrastructure e. V. (NFDI)
The aim is to use research data efficiently, across disciplines and sustainably, as well as to utilise cooperation and the best possible communication channels.
"Good research data, better research, more and new knowledge!" This is the guiding principle behind Witten/Herdecke University's (UW/H) future involvement in the National Research Data Infrastructure e. V. (NFDI ).
On 24 June 2025, the admission of UW/H to the NFDI association was officially confirmed. The membership is based on an application by Annette Strauch-Davey, Research Data Management (RDM) Officer at UW/H, and was approved by the Directorate and Board of Trustees of the NFDI.
Research data - as the basis for sustainable science - requires efficient, interdisciplinary and sustainable solutions. No one can develop these alone, which is why all good and possible co-operations and the best possible communication channels are needed.
The NFDI is funded by the federal and state governments to ensure the provision and indexing of research data for science. Its vision is:
"Data as a common good for excellent research, organised by the scientific community in Germany."
There are 26 consortia in the NFDI for the scientific disciplines and the Basic Services Network(Base4NFDI). The FAIR principles in research should be implemented by the NFDI and research data should be made (re)usable. In addition, technical and organisational infrastructure must be provided in the long term, which has so far been too small-scale, decentralised and not useful for everyone.
Through its membership, the UW/H can now actively participate in the strategic development of this infrastructure. It contributes its own perspectives and needs, learns from the experiences of other disciplines and actively participates in the working groups of the NFDI sections. For example, Annette Strauch-Davey is involved in the MaRDI Advisory Board and in the working groups of the ELSA and Common Infrastructures sections. Her networks with NFDI stakeholders are already helping the UW/H to develop sustainable solutions for an RDM and utilise existing services, such as in cooperation with the NFDI4HealthLocal Data Hub project.
The NFDI is also endeavouring to establish a close connection to the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). The EOSC is the central European research data infrastructure for science, the development of which is supported by funding programmes of the European Commission, the member states and associated countries until 2030. It brings together over 250 members, and data infrastructures in Europe are to be networked. A first version of the EOSC has been available online since October 2024: Home | European Open Science Cloud - EU Node (accessed on 24/06/2025).
By joining the NFDI, the UW/H is taking responsibility for shaping the future of digital research in Germany - in the spirit of good scientific practice and an open, collaborative scientific culture.
Further information: