Source: Own illustration
Research data is a central component of scientific work today. It forms the basis for new insights, enables the traceability of research results, and creates the conditions necessary for data to be used and further processed over the long term. For this to succeed, sustainable infrastructures, common standards, and interdisciplinary collaboration are required.
With the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI), a framework has been established in Germany that pursues precisely these goals. The recently approved extension of the NFDI by the federal and state governments now provides a long-term perspective for the further development of these research data infrastructures. RWTH Aachen University is also actively involved in shaping the NFDI.
What Is the NFDI?
The National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) connects researchers from various disciplines with the goal of making research data discoverable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable in accordance with the FAIR principles.
This involves specialist communities collaborating in topic-specific consortia. Among other things, these consortia develop standards, tools, advisory services, and other resources to support researchers in the sustainable management of their data. The NFDI bridges the gap between disciplinary requirements and technical solutions, creating a common foundation for modern research data management (RDM) in Germany.
New Perspectives for the NFDI Starting in 2029
With the decision of the Joint Science Conference (GWK) on July 10, 2026, the federal and state governments have laid the groundwork for the next phase of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI). A new federal-state agreement governs the funding and future structure of the NFDI starting in 2029.
Funding is planned for the period from January 1, 2029, to December 31, 2038. To this end, the federal and state governments will jointly provide up to approximately 98.7 million euros annually.
In addition, on July 10, 2026, the GWK decided to continue funding all ten consortia from the second call for proposals. The second project phase will initially run until the end of 2028 and will enable the consortia to continue their existing developments and expand their offerings for the scientific communities.
For the scientific communities, this decision means that the NFDI’s existing structures, services, and offerings can initially be maintained and further developed. The specific continuation of individual consortia will continue to be determined through the established review and funding procedures. The new agreement establishes the long-term framework for the further development of the NFDI as a whole.
The Role of RWTH in the NFDI
RWTH Aachen is actively shaping the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI). Researchers from various disciplines, as well as central university units, are involved in various NFDI consortia and contribute their subject-matter and technical expertise to their work.
In this way, RWTH helps develop discipline-specific solutions for research data management, advance common standards, and play a lasting role in shaping the research data infrastructure in Germany.
NFDI Consortia with RWTH Participation
The decision in July 2026 to continue funding the consortia from the second call for proposals underscores the importance of the NFDI for sustainable research data management. The following consortia, in which RWTH Aachen University participates, will continue to receive funding:
- DAPHNE4NFDI (Co-Applicant)
- FAIRmat (Participant)
- NFDI4DataScience (Co-Applicant)
- NFDI4Earth (Participant)
- NFDI-MatWerk (Co-Applicant)
- NFDI4Microbiota (Co-Applicant)
These consortia are the focus of our blog series. In upcoming posts, we will present their work, provide insights into their goals for the second project phase, and highlight the contributions they make to their respective academic communities as well as to research data management.
Learn More
If you have any questions about the NFDI or the RDM in general, the RDM Team looks forward to hearing from you.
Responsible for the content of this article is Arlinda Ujkani.
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