Research data management (RDM) methods, tools and procedures can differ depending on the scientific discipline. Different types of data require different solutions. Each subject area has its own standards or recommendations based on the requirements of the specific data and research processes.
The following information has therefore been compiled specifically for researchers in natural sciences.
Core Facilities
for the Natural Sciences
Core Facilities offer overarching yet subject-specific and individual counseling on the topic of RDM and therefore are recommended as a first point of contact:
The Quantitative Biology Center (QBiC) provides consultation for natural and life scientists on the management of their specific research data. The Core Facility also offers various services, e.g. generating and analyzing high-throughput data and has specialized in bioinformatics and omics technologies.
The Center for Light-Matter Interaction, Sensors and Analytics (LISA+) consists of a multidisciplinary nano-structuring and analysis laboratory of the departments of physics, chemistry, geosciences, biology and medical materials science. LISA+ offers various technologies as well as methods and provides consultation on planning, utilization and knowledge transfer - also in the area of research data management within the natural sciences.
Tübingen Structural Microscopy (TSM) specializes in the geosciences, life sciences and material sciences. The Core Facility offers (cryo)electron microscopy and thus expands the services of the Network Electron Microscopy Tübingen (NET). Services range from sample preparation, instrument operation and imaging to interpretation and analysis. Training formats and consultation are offered as well, also for research data management.
NFDI consortia offer subject-specific services and information on the topic of RDM. They are suitable contacts for additional, discipline-specific consultation:
DAPHNE4NFDI is a consortium for data from photon and neutron experiments. The offerings and services are therefore tailored to researchers in physics and chemistry, but may also be suitable for the fields of catalysis, life sciences, materials science and archaeology.
The focus of the NFDI4Earth consortium is on earth system research. Researchers in the geosciences and related disciplines can find support here for questions relating to research data management.
NFDI4Objects combines the humanities with the natural sciences through its focus on archaeology. All disciplines conducting research in the field of material remains of human history will find expert contacts there.
The FAIRmat consortium focuses on physics, more specifically on the chemical physics of solid substances and condensed matter physics. However, services in the areas of synthesis, experimentation, theory and simulations may also be of interest to other disciplines within chemistry or engineering.
Within physics, PUNCH4NFDI focuses on the fields of particle physics, astroparticle physics, hadron and nuclear physics as well as astronomy. The consortium offers services and expertise for the often extensive amounts of data generated in these disciplines.
MaRDI stands for Mathematical Research Data Initiative. The consortium offers services in the field of RDM for mathematical research and all disciplines that use mathematics within the research process. Mathematical research data can be, for example, databases, mathematical objects, aspects of scientific computing, models, algorithms or data from statistical analyses.
The NFDI4Biodiversity consortium focuses on research data in biology, ecology and biodiversity research. Biodiversity encompasses genotypic, phenotypic and functional diversity as well as the interaction of species, populations and ecosystems.
Catalysis research and catalysis-related sciences such as chemical engineering and process engineering will find suitable advice at NFDI4Cat. As catalysis is interdisciplinary and has high practical relevance, the consortium bundles various disciplines and services.
The NFDI4Chem consortium focuses on all subject areas within chemistry. Researchers in scientific disciplines related to chemistry will find advice and services on research data management here.
NFDI4DataScience focuses on research data in data science and artificial intelligence (AI). As these research areas affect different disciplines, the consortium is initially concentrating on the fields of language technology, biomedical research, information sciences and social sciences.
NFDIxCS serves the research field of computer science and thus offers a contact point for all computer science disciplines. Researchers within these disciplines can find advice and services on research data management here.
RDM structures and services have been and are being developed and used in numerous research projects. The following projects involve and have involved researchers from Tübingen. Depending on the nature of your own research data, tools and/or expertise developed within the projects may be helpful for data management:
binAC Bioinformatics and Astrophysics Research Cluster
The BinAC - Bioinformatics and Astrophysics Research Cluster is part of the bwHPC initiative (High Performance Cloud Computing). BinAC was funded by the DFG and the state of Baden-Württemberg from 2016 to 2021.
The aim of the concept is to provide researchers with optimized HPC resources for their disciplines, consisting of hardware, software and support.
Since 2019, four research data centers have been funded by the state of Baden-Württemberg. Within the data centers, researchers are to work closely with data centers and libraries to enable access to and use of digital data sets.
BioDATEN - Bioinformatics Data Environment is one of these four centers, which was funded from 2019 to 2023. The aim was to support bioinformatics workflows across the entire life cycle of the data. This facilitates access to the various independent infrastructures at regional, national and international level.
Information Management and Information Infrastructure in Collaborative Research Centers (INF) can be applied for as a subproject in Collaborative Research Centers (CRC) or CRC/Transregio (TRR) of the DFG. They serve to develop and implement project-specific data management concepts and to establish and operate the associated infrastructure.
The INF project Virtual Environment for Research Data and Analysis (VERDA) of the TRR 356 - PlantMicrobe is based in the natural and life sciences. The TRR will run from 2023 to 2026.
Information Management and Information Infrastructure in Collaborative Research Centers (INF) can be applied for as a subproject in Collaborative Research Centers (CRC) or CRC/Transregio (TRR) of the DFG. They serve to develop and implement project-specific data management concepts and to establish and operate the associated infrastructure.
The INF project Data Infrastructure and Data Communication Environments of the CRC 1253 - CAMPOS was based in the geosciences. The CRC ran from 2017 to 2021.
EOSC-Life Building a Digital Space for the Life Sciences
EOSC-Life - Building a Digital Space for the Life Sciences was an EU-funded project within the natural sciences in the field of biology with a funding period from 2019 to 2023.
The aim was to bring together 13 Europe-wide life sciences research institutions in the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures to create an open, digital, collaborative space for life sciences research.
de.NBI German Network for Bioinformatics Infrastructure
de.NBI - German Network for Bioinformatics Infrastructure was a BMBF-funded project within bioinformatics with a funding period from 2014 to 2021.
The aim was to provide bioinformatics services for researchers within the life sciences in Germany and Europe. Since 2022, the de.NBI network has been continued at Forschungszentrum Jülich.