RDM Travel Center – Research Data Day 2026 at RWTH Aachen University
source: fdm.nrw
A diverse and informative program awaits you at Research Data Day in North Rhine-Westphalia 2026. At this event for researchers at all career stages, participants will receive an overview of research data management (RDM) services, individual advice tailored to their personal RDM needs, and the opportunity to exchange ideas with RDM experts and other researchers.
In this blog post, we’ll give you a glimpse into the extensive afternoon program and the various stations where you can prepare for your own research data journey.
New Addition to DataStorage.nrw: DataArchive.nrw as a Storage Location for Cold Research Data!
Source: Own illustration
With DataArchive.nrw, North Rhine-Westphalia is launching a new service for the long-term archiving of large volumes of research data. Designed to complement DataStorage.nrw, the new system will enable the storage of so-called “cold” research data in the future. In this article, you’ll learn about the technology behind it and the role DataArchive.nrw will play in research data management (RDM).
NFDI at RWTH – NFDI-MatWerk
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.
FDM Network Meeting, September 2026
source: own illustration
On September 24, the monthly FDM network meeting took place, giving data stewards and others interested in FDM the opportunity to discuss FDM-related topics.
This meeting focused on how data stewards can motivate researchers to use FDM resources and drive change processes forward. Participants discussed challenges and shared examples of best practices.
Bridging the Media Gap – RDMO Learns to Communicate with Coscine
Source: Own Illustration
When transitioning from one phase of the research process to the next, researchers often encounter media gaps. For example, when they have finalized their data management plan (DMP) in RDMO and want to create a corresponding Coscine project for data storage and management. Until now, the project metadata had to be transferred manually for this purpose. Through an incubator with DMP4NFDI, RDMO has now learned to communicate with Coscine and transfer the metadata directly. This blog post explains exactly how this works and what requirements must be met.
Coscine Introduces New User Interface
Source: Own illustration
Coscine has now been in regular operation for more than three years and is used for research data management by approximately 3,900 researchers from various universities in the DH.NRW network as well as participating NFDI consortia. The blog post “Happy Birthday, Coscine!” provides an overview of Coscine’s development to date.
As the number of users grows and application scenarios diversify, the demands placed on the platform continue to evolve. For this reason, Coscine’s user interface (UI) is undergoing a fundamental redesign. The goal of these changes is to make the platform clearer, more intuitive, and more user-friendly.
Set off on Your Journey – Research Data Day in North Rhine-Westphalia 2026
Source: grivina, SMUX, artnazu – stock.adobe.com
Research data is part of every project, from the initial ideas to the publication of the results. But how can data be effectively organized, properly documented, securely stored, and quickly retrieved in everyday research? On November 10, 2026, Research Data Day (TdF) in North Rhine-Westphalia will be held under the motto “Set off on Your Journey – Pleasant Travels with your Data” and will offer the opportunity to explore precisely these questions.
RWTH Aachen University will once again be participating. Together with Forschungszentrum Jülich and the Rhine-Ruhr Center for Scientific Data Literacy (DKZ.2R), it invites researchers to discover practical tools, helpful resources, and relevant contacts for their own research journey and to put together their own personal RDM Travel Kit.
RDM at the Young Academics Day 2026
Source: Own illustration
What resources and support services are available to help early-career researchers advance their academic careers? At the RWTH Young Academics Day on September 4, 2026, doctoral students and postdocs had the opportunity to learn about various support programs offered by RWTH and to network with one another. The RDM team was also present at the event.
Organized by the RWTH Center for Young Academics, the event brought together early-career researchers from various departments at SuperC. In addition to providing information on the various opportunities offered by RWTH, the event offered, in particular, an opportunity for exchange and networking.
From the Chemistry Lab to the ELN – Follow-up Report of the RDM Network Lab Visit
Source: Own illustration
What does research data management look like where research data are actually generated? On August 20, 2026, the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry opened its laboratories to the RDM Network and provided insights into research data management in practice. The focus was on Electronic Lab Notebooks (so called ELNs), and how they can be integrated into workflows in chemical research.
NFDI4ING Summer School Aachen – Driving RDM
Source: NFDI4ING
How can engineering data be collected in a structured manner, documented in a traceable way, analyzed, and used sustainably? Participants from various engineering disciplines addressed these and other questions at the joint “Driving RDM” Summer School organized by NFDI4ING, the DKZ.2R, and the Research Data Management Department at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (OVGU) in Aachen. Participants from Jülich and Clausthal were also in attendance.
The event combined theoretical fundamentals with hands-on labs. This allowed participants not only to familiarize themselves with the content but also to apply it directly to a specific use case.
