Access to digital knowledge and management of research data from publicly funded science are seen as essential challenges for research and knowledge transfer in Germany.
Over the past years, the Rat für Informationssinfrastrukturen (RfII) has initiated discussions on a national infrastructure for research data (Nationale Forschungsdaten-Infrastruktur, NFDI) and has recommended to establish such an infrastructure. The Gemeinsame Wissenschaftskonferenz (GWK) decided to fund the development of an NFDI with up to 90 million € per year for the next ten years.
The NFDI is intended to serve all disciplines of the entire research landscape in Germany. Its purpose is to support scientists in efficiently managing their research data and to ensure that research data becomes interoperable and re-usable, in line with international standards and initiatives (e.g., the FAIR principles, the European Open Science Cloud EOSC). The NFDI aims to build on and connect existing resources according to a comprehensive concept for research data management that is sustainable and competitive in the international context.
The development of the NFDI will be organized along the different scientific fields, through consortia of data producers, data users and infrastructure providers that represent the respective scientific communities. The wide scope and interdisciplinary nature of neuroscientific research, together with the important role of neuroscience in Germany, calls for an NFDI consortium dedicated to neuroscience.