Recap of the 35th Meeting of the FDI Committee

The meeting focused on the future of the FDI Committee and the research data infrastructure within the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) after 2028. Against the backdrop of planned structural changes (the federal-state agreement on the future of the NFDI), representatives of the accredited research data centers and guests discussed the future role of the FDI Committee. Particular emphasis was placed on the committee’s importance for networking among research data centers (RDCs), the exchange of expertise, and quality assurance within the research data landscape.

Other key topics included a dialogue on the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence in the handling of sensitive research data, as well as measures to improve data discoverability. Among other things, the presentation featured KonsortSWD’s enhanced data search interface and recommendations for optimizing metadata. The FDI Committee’s Data Discoverability Working Group will compile the various recommendations into a guide for the RDCs.

Other items on the agenda included the results of the latest FDZ monitoring, reports from KonsortSWD and RatSWD, the KonsortSWD Help Desk, as well as new data access methods and costs at GESIS. In addition, the current status of RDCNet and the new booking platform RDCDesk were presented.

With the election of Dana Müller (FDZ at the Federal Employment Agency within the Institute for Employment Research) and Philip Raatz (FDZ Ruhr at the RWI—Leibniz Institute for Economic Research) to lead the FDI Committee, as well as the appointment of new members to the Monitoring Commission, important personnel decisions were made for the coming term.

The meeting once again underscored the importance of the FDI Committee as a central forum for exchange among research data centers and for the further development of research data infrastructure.