RDM Training Program – Courses Offered in the Second Half of 2026
Source: Own illustration
The RDM team at RWTH Aachen University offers a comprehensive training program on research data management (RDM). The program is aimed at researchers, data stewards, and anyone interested in the structured handling of research data or who would like to deepen their knowledge in this area. In this blog post, we provide an overview of the training courses scheduled for the second half of the year.
NFDI at RWTH: An Overview of the New Funding Phase
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.
Ten Years of the FAIR Principles
Source: own illustration
The FAIR principles are a fundamental concept in research data management (RDM). They were first published ten years ago in the journal *Scientific Data* and have since established themselves as an international standard for the sustainable management of research data. The RDM services at RWTH Aachen University are also based on the FAIR principles and thus support researchers in ensuring their research data is FAIR throughout the entire research process.
We are taking this anniversary as an opportunity to take a closer look at the FAIR principles and their origins in this blog post.
RDM Checklist: Be Well Prepared for Your Vacation
Source: Own Illustration
Vacation season is just around the corner, and for many researchers, that means a well-deserved break. But before you put your laptop away for a few days or weeks, it’s worth taking a quick look at research data management (RDM). With just a little preparation, you can ensure that your research data is protected, that projects can continue to run smoothly even while you’re away, and that your substitutes have all the necessary information at their fingertips. In this post, we provide an overview of the most important steps you should take regarding research data management before going on vacation.
Publishing Research Data: Questions to Clarify in Advance
Source: Own Illustration
In the previous post, “Creative Commons Licenses Explained Simply,” we explained how Creative Commons licenses work and the options they offer for making scholarly works available for reuse.
However, choosing an appropriate Creative Commons license is just one step toward publishing research data. Various legal and organizational issues should be clarified in advance. These include, for example, whether the research data may be published at all, whether intellectual property rights apply to it, and which license or repository is appropriate in each case.
This post provides an overview of the most important issues and highlights what researchers should keep in mind when publishing their research data.
Creative Commons Licenses Explained Simply
Source: creativecommons.org
Whether it’s a scientific publication, presentation, graphic, or teaching material: Anyone who publishes research findings should specify how others are permitted to use them. This is exactly where licenses come into play.
They clarify whether content may be shared, modified, or even used commercially. In this way, they promote the reuse of scientific findings and support the goals of Open Science.
Creative Commons licenses (CC licenses) are an internationally established licensing system. But what do the various abbreviations actually mean, and which license is suitable for which purpose?
Where Should I Store My Research Data? A Decision-Making Guide for RWTH
Source: Own Illustration
At the very latest when research data needs to be stored, archived, or published in a structured manner, an important question arises: Where is the best place to store the data?
At RWTH, various services are available to researchers. At the same time, there are numerous discipline-specific repositories tailored to the needs of individual fields. The right choice depends less on the file format and more on the goal: Will the data be actively used? Does it need to be preserved long-term? Or should it be published and made available for reuse?
ELN@RWTH: Digitizing Research Documentation
Source: Own Illustration
Experiment logs, measurement data, analyses, and notes are part of everyday research life. However, this information is often stored in various locations: in lab notebooks, on network drives, in email attachments, or on personal computers. This can make it difficult to retrieve data, trace workflows, or share information with colleagues.
Electronic Lab Notebooks (ELNs) offer a digital solution to this problem. They enable structured documentation of research processes and help researchers make their work traceable, efficient, and accessible over the long term.
From Alexandria to the World Wide Web: A Brief History of Research Data Management
Source: Magnific
When people talk about research data management (RDM) today, many immediately think of metadata, repositories, or the FAIR principles. The fundamental idea behind it, however, is much older. Long before digital technologies existed, people faced the challenge of collecting and organizing knowledge and making it accessible to future generations.
FDM Network Meeting May 2026: Practice Special
Source: Own Illustration
At the FDM network meeting on May 28, 2026, data stewards and other individuals involved in FDM gathered for a practical workshop to discuss the latest developments in research data management (FDM) within their respective projects in a face-to-face setting.
