Source: RDM Team RWTH Aachen University
The last Meeting of the RDM Network took place on September 4, 2025. The RDM team from RWTH Aachen University, data stewards, and meeting participants shared valuable insights and exciting impressions from the Conference on Research Data Infrastructure (CoRDI). Additionally, we would like to inform you about another RDM network meeting. The “Data Stewards Practice Special” is scheduled for September 25, 2025. All RDM members are cordially invited to participate in this exchange and report on their experiences and projects.
CoRDI 2025: A Key Conference for Research Data Infrastructures in Germany
With an intensive focus on research data infrastructures, CoRDI is one of the most important conferences in Germany’s RDM context. It brings together experts and interested parties from various disciplines to discuss current developments, challenges, and best practices in research data management.
The second edition of this significant conference took place from August 26 to 28, 2025, at C.A.R.L. at RWTH Aachen University and attracted an impressive 680 registered participants. With 150 presentations and 173 posters, the three-day event provided a platform for intensive knowledge and experience exchange. The National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) organized the conference in cooperation with the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) of RWTH Aachen University, with significant support from the NFDI4Ing consortium.
Impressions and Insights from CoRDI
The RDM team from RWTH Aachen University had a strong presence at CoRDI 2025. Data stewards and participants from the RDM network presented their findings through poster presentations, lectures, and workshops. We would like to highlight just four contributions that received particularly positive feedback (*):
- The poster “The ELN Format for the Exchange of Research Data Between Open-Source Projects” presented the ELN file format. The ELN Consortium developed this format, which enables interoperable data exchange between different open-source electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs). The poster was created in collaboration with Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) and co-produced by Nicole Parks from RWTH Aachen University.
- The presentation “Learning Objectives Matrix on RDM — Community of Practice and Subject-Specific Adaptations” introduced a key product of the RDM training community. The Learning Objectives Matrix (LOM) provides students, researchers, and data stewards with a structured overview of learning objectives on various FDM topics. The LZM serves as a practical tool for teachers, multipliers, and curriculum developers to design training courses, and it has already proven effective in numerous educational contexts, including the NFDI. Ute Trautwein Bruns and Sophie Bosse presented it on behalf of the Training/Continuing Education sub-working group of the DINI/nestor Research Data Working Group.
- In the presentation “KONDA: An LLM-Based Tool for Semantic Annotation and Knowledge Graph Creation Using Ontologies for Research Data,” Soo-Yon Kim (RWTH) introduced an AI-based tool that assists researchers in semantically enriching datasets. KONDA greatly simplifies access to ontologies and semantic technologies by bundling complex steps into an integrated, user-friendly workflow.
- Sabine Schönau (RWTH Aachen University) represented DMP4NFDI at CoRDI, , presenting a poster and leading a workshop. DMP4NFDI’s basic service aims to promote the topic of “machine-actionable DMP and SMP” within the NFDI. To this end, the service offers hosting of the DMP tool RDMO, training and support, and assistance with catalog creation using standardized procedures and selection options.
The poster, titled “Standardizing Data Management Plans for Machine-Actionable Data Management across NFDI and beyond” presents the basic catalog developed using the underlying mapping of RDMO’s internal vocabulary. This catalog can be reused and adapted by consortia and other interested parties for specific disciplines. The goal is to streamline the development of new catalogs and establish a common standard. (**)
At CoRDI 2025, it became clear that many participants, particularly NFDI employees, were facing similar challenges. However, the conference fostered a sense of community and promoted solidarity.
Next Meeting of the RDM Network – Save the Date
Next week, the Data Stewards will present a 90-minute Practice Special. During this event, the Data Stewards at RWTH will present brief project updates. A discussion round and an outlook on future meetings will conclude the FDM network meeting.
- Date: September 25, 2025, from 10am to 11:30am
- Location: Online
- Topic: Data Stewards Practice Special
- Registration: Zoom
We cordially invite all RDM members to register for the event and share their experiences and activities related to research data management.
Learn More
nterested in the RDM network? Would you like to stay up to date? Subscribe to the “DataStewards@RWTH” mailing list.
If you have any questions about the RDM network or related topics, please contact us. The RDM team looks forward to hearing from you and is happy to help!
Responsible for the content of this article are Lina-Louise Kaulbach and Ute Trautwein-Bruns.
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