NFDI4Chem's approach to efficient data management planning in chemistry

This record contains the poster that was presented at the 2nd Conference on Research Data Infrastructure (CoRDI) in Aachen in 2025.

Abstract

The landscape of research data management (RDM) in the chemical sciences is evolving rapidly, driven by the growing need for accessible, reusable and sustainable data infrastructures. The NFDI4Chem consortium is at the forefront of these efforts and aims to foster a transformation in the way chemical research data is managed, shared and preserved. At the heart of the consortium's efforts is the creation of an RDM infrastructure [1]. We will outline the strategic initiatives undertaken by NFDI4Chem to support RDM through the development of a chemistry-specific Data Management Plan (DMP) template, collaboration with the DMP4NFDI base service, and planned active contribution as an incubator project in the DMP4NFDI integration phase.

Recognising the need for discipline-specific guidance on RDM, NFDI4Chem initiated the creation of a DMP template that addresses the specialties of chemical research. The development was based on a comprehensive approach that included surveys and interviews with chemists to identify their needs and collect chemistry-specific answers to the individual DMP questions [2]. The resulting chemistry-specific DMP template, aligned with the DFG checklist and incorporating community feedback, was made publicly available on Zenodo [3] and as an RDMO (Research Data Management Organizer) catalog on GitHub [4].

In addition, an RDMO instance for NFDI4Chem was set up as a use case in the collaboration with DMP4NFDI [5]. RDMO4Chem should facilitate the creation of detailed and standardised DMPs and set a new standard for data management in the chemical sciences. The customised RDMO instance provides various catalogs for DMP, Software Management Plan (SMP) and policy creation and therefore is an important tool for researchers, enabling them to manage data and software easily and efficiently.

NFDI4Chem's involvement in the DMP4NFDI integration phase as an incubator project emphasises our strong commitment to improving the RDM landscape. Through active participation in community outreach, training and feedback mechanisms, we plan to play a key role in refining the DMP4NFDI service. The collaboration aims to integrate the DMP4NFDI offering into the NFDI4Chem service portfolio, leading to the development of a scalable and comprehensive DMP infrastructure. 

By presenting an overview of how customised tools, collaboration and community engagement are helping to promote a systematic approach to RDM at the Conference of Research Data Infrastructure (CoRDI), we aim to share our insights and learnings with the broader research data community, fostering the advancement of RDM practices across disciplines.

References

1. C. Steinbeck, O. Koepler, F. Bach, S. Herres-Pawlis, N. Jung, J. Liermann, S. Neumann, M. Razum, C. Baldauf, F. Biedermann, et al., “NFDI4Chem - Towards a National Research Data Infrastructure for Chemistry in Germany”, Research Ideas and Outcomes 6, pp. e55852, 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.6.e55852

2. D. A. Hausen, A.-C. Andres, J. Ortmeyer, S. Herres-Pawlis, “Road to a Chemistry Specific Data Management Plan”, Data Science Journal, vol. 23, no. 21, pp. 1–10., 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2024-021

3. D. A. Hausen, A.-C. Andres, “Chemistry-specific Data Management Plan Template based on DFG checklist“. Zenodo, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10948510 

4. RDMO. “RDMO Catalog“. Available:  https://github.com/rdmorganiser/rdmo-catalog  [Access: 28 April 2025]

5. NFDI4Chem. “RDMO NFDI4Chem“. Available: https://rdmo.nfdi4chem.de/ https://github.com/rdmorganiser/rdmo-catalog  [Access: 28 April 2025]