HRZ and ULB receive funding for the development of a NRW-wide research data repository HRZ and ULB receive funding for the development of a NRW-wide research data repository

Until now, an extensive research data repository has been a missing link in the digital ecosystem of NRW. With the new service DataPublication.nrw, that is being developed and established by the department of research data management at the Uni Bonn, research data can be publicated and found easily. 

"Researching and working with research data is first and foremost done by the researcher themself. A repository opens an additional window for the scientific community and secondary research", explains Dr Sergej Zerr, part of the development team "Research Data Infrastructure" at the HRZ.* 

A crucial factor regarding the grant of the ministry and the connected funding of 1.1 Mio. Euros, was the expertise regarding the in-house research data repository bonndata, developed by the department of research data management of the HRZ and the ULB. Thereby, in cooperation with the RWTH Aachen a state-wide concept was developed, for which 12 other colleges and universities have already expressed support before the start of the funding. 

A particularly important aspect is the accurate description of data using metadata, according to Dr Zerr. Only by doing this, new data can be found and be re-introduced research data cycle. The strength of DataPublication.nrw, as presented by the HRZ, is the focus on advising and empowering the researchers to self-administrate. A detailled onboarding, controlling the data, as well as a flexibility in the interface allows for conditions that make the repository useful beyoond the borders of individual universities. 

We congratulate the RWTH Aachen and the members of the Bonn Team, who help NRW make progress in data and software publishing. 

Connecting data management and data publishing allows the project to use existing infrastructure and to begin implementation as early as January 2026. In cause of this, it is expected that the working service can start the operative service and the onboarding of universities around six months later.

Funding for the project has initially been approved for four years and, in addition to system development and commissioning, also includes process optimisation and an external evaluation.

* the interview was conducted in German.