Research data is a cornerstone of scientific discovery and much of it can be used as a basis for further research unconnected with its original purpose. The long-term protection and availability of quality-assured research data is extremely important for science in the digital age. Consequently, a large number of science policy statements call for open access to research data in line with the FAIR principles. Transparent access not only enables research data to be reproduced but also to be reused in further research.

Sustainable management of research data (RDM) requires special infrastructures adapted to the needs of scientists in order to increase the efficiency of the research process. Taking the specifications of each discipline into account, the main purpose of data management infrastructure is to support scientists throughout the research process – from the creation of first datasets to collaborative structures, publication and data repositories.

The research data centres of the Leibniz Association mirror the breadth of the member institutions and follow subject-specific standards for the curation and publication of their data. In addition, interdisciplinary research data repositories, such as the Research Data Repository (RADAR) of FIZ-Karlsruhe - Leibniz Institute for Information Infrastructure, support a wide range of scientific institutions within and outside the Leibniz Association.

In 2009, the Leibniz Association set up a Research Data Working Group in response to the growing importance of this issue and to support knowledge exchange. The increasing relevance of research data for the Leibniz Association is also reflected in its Guidelines for Handling Research Data (2018). With the establishment of the Leibniz Research Network "LeibnizData" in 2020, there has also been a forum for exchange, particularly on strategic issues relating to RDM.

Due to their broad experience and expertise in the field of RDM, two-thirds of the Leibniz Association's institutions currently participate in the German National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) and in data competence centers funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

The Leibniz Association is also heavily involved in international initiatives such as DataCite, the Research Data Alliance (RDA) and the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).

German National Research Data Infrastructure

The Leibniz Association is extensively involved in the German National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) - via the consortia, the joint initiative for basic services and via the bodies of the NFDI Association.

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LeibnizData

The Leibniz Research Network "LeibnizData" provides data-management services and the requisite research-data infrastructures.

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Spokesperson Leibniz Research Data Working Group
Dr Janna Neumann
TIB – Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology, Hannover
T +49 511 76 23 420
janna.neumann@tib.eu
Deputy Spokesperson Leibniz Research Data Working Group
Bianca Pramann
Leibniz Institute for Educational Media | Georg Eckert Institute (GEI), Braunschweig
T +49 531 59099-301
bianca.pramann@gei.de
Downloads

Guidelines on the Handling of Research Data within the Leibniz Association (PDF)

Leibniz Association's Commitment to the European Open Science Cloud Declaration (PDF)

Links

Leibniz Research Data Working Group

Datenkompetenzzentren

National Research Data Infrastructure Germany (NFDI)

European Open Science Cloud (EOSC)

Leibniz Information infrastructures