Source: Own illustration
How can research data from the materials sciences and materials engineering be made FAIR and reused over the long term? NFDI-MatWerk addresses this question. In the first post in our series on the consortia from the second round of NFDI funding involving RWTH, we introduce NFDI-MatWerk and highlight the role RWTH plays in it, what was achieved during the first funding phase, and the key objectives for the second funding phase.
NFDI-MatWerk at a Glance
The fields of materials science and materials engineering generate a wide variety of research data. This includes experimental measurement data as well as simulation data and data from (partially) digitized laboratories. To ensure that this data remains discoverable, accessible, and reusable in the long term, solutions are needed that take into account the specific requirements of the scientific community.
NFDI-MatWerk is developing a FAIRe research data infrastructure for this purpose. The focus is on DFG Research Councils 4.31 Materials Engineering and 4.32 Materials Science.
The consortium’s work covers the entire data lifecycle. Topics include, for example, the digitization of laboratories, the handling of simulation data, the development of metadata standards, reference datasets, and ontologies, as well as digital workflows for regularly recurring experiments.
In addition, the consortium teaches the fundamentals of research data management and integrates these topics into teaching.
These issues should be addressed collaboratively within the scientific community whenever possible. In this way, NFDI-MatWerk aims to avoid siloed solutions, advance the digitization of materials science and engineering, integrate as many researchers as possible into the process, and respond to their needs.
RWTH in the Consortium
RWTH Aachen University participates in NFDI-MatWerk as a co-applicant. The IT Center, together with the Research Process and Data Management (RPDM) department, is involved in the “Material Data Interoperability” (MDI) task area, where it assumes coordination responsibilities. In the second funding phase, Prof. Dr. Müller and Dr. Marius Politze will jointly serve as co-spokespersons for the consortium.
The Chair of Materials Physics and the Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Physics, led by Prof. Sandra Korte-Kerzel and Ulrich Kerzel, are also participating through a Participant Project.
The IT Center contributes, in particular, experience in setting up confederated IT infrastructures and architectures, as well as expertise in metadata and FAIR Digital Objects (FDOs). International standards play just as important a role as networking with national and international communities, such as the Research Data Alliance (RDA) and the HPC community. In addition, there is collaboration with NFDI Base Services and NFDI sections at both the organizational and technical levels.
Another connection to RWTH exists through Coscine. An NFDI MatWerk base profile was developed for the platform, tailored to the requirements of materials science and materials engineering. Researchers can use it as a basis for the structured description of their research data. Work is also underway on a companion app for Coscine as part of NFDI-MatWerk.
RWTH also participates in offerings for the scientific community, such as spring and summer schools. Through the Participant Project “Structural and Chemical Atomic Complexity” in CRC 1394, various concrete use cases are also incorporated into the consortium’s work.
Recent Developments
During the first funding phase, NFDI-MatWerk developed numerous solutions that cover various stages of the research data lifecycle. These include software, tools, and services; semantic solutions; and components of the underlying IT architecture.
On the NFDI-MatWerk website, you can explore the results to date from various perspectives. They are organized along the data lifecycle, based on the IT architecture, and compiled in the “All Solutions” overview.
The demonstrators show how these different building blocks can interact in research practice. Using specific research questions, they illustrate how various tools and technical components can be combined. Some of the demonstrators are interactive and can be tried out directly.
The Second Funding Phase
In the second funding phase, the focus will shift more toward the practical application of the solutions developed so far. The existing offerings are to be further developed, maintained, and prepared in such a way that the community can reuse them as easily as possible. At the same time, they are to be scaled up for broader use within the fields of materials science and materials engineering.
Engagement with the community is also to be intensified. Among other things, a community membership program is planned to provide low-threshold access to the consortium. The plan includes a discussion forum and opportunities to consult directly with experts on specific questions. Registration is already available on the website.
For example, “Book an Expert” is intended to be a service through which researchers can easily and quickly receive support for specific questions arising from their day-to-day research. This could involve anything from selecting a suitable ontology to resolving difficulties with an interface. In the future, the community membership is also intended to provide access to Coscine and storage services.
Another goal is the development of easy-to-use portfolios for typical research questions in the materials sciences and materials engineering. Instead of having to consider individual solutions separately, researchers should be able to draw on suitable combinations of existing offerings.
Collaboration Within the NFDI
NFDI-MatWerk collaborates with other NFDI consortia in various areas. This includes joint summer schools, such as the one planned for 2026 with FAIRmat in Erlangen, as well as joint use cases with FAIRmat or NFDI4ING. In some cases, this collaboration is also governed by joint Memoranda of Understanding.
In addition, the consortium participates in NFDI sections and working groups, for example on education & training and helpdesk topics.
The NFDI Base Services also play a role. There is a close connection to IAM4NFDI and the Common Infrastructure section. The planned community membership, for example, is being tested as part of an incubator at IAM4NFDI. NFDI-MatWerk also participates in exchanges with Accounting4NFDI and collaborates with DMP4NFDI.
Outlook
In the coming years, NFDI-MatWerk’s work will focus more strongly on the rollout of the solutions developed to date. Solutions from the first funding phase are to be disseminated within the community, scaled for broader use, and made reusable in the long term.
Key priorities include the Knowledge Graph, greater community involvement, and the rollout of existing solutions.
Artificial intelligence and the AI readiness of research data are also gaining importance. Data and infrastructures are to be designed so that they can be better utilized for AI applications in the future. At the same time, user-friendly portfolios are to be developed to support researchers in addressing specific questions in the fields of materials science and materials engineering.
As the NFDI continues to evolve, collaboration among the consortia is also changing. NFDI-MatWerk aims to help shape this process and further expand collaboration with consortia in related fields. In the spirit of “One NFDI,” solutions are to be more closely interconnected and made reusable beyond the boundaries of individual consortia.
Learn More
For more information about NFDI-MatWerk and its results to date, please visit the NFDI-MatWerk website.
If you have any questions about the NFDI or RDM in general, the RDM team looks forward to hearing from you.
Responsible for the content of this article are Anika Fritsch, Katharina Grünwald, Sebastian Slawik und Arlinda Ujkani.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.