New Publication: White Paper on Cross-Border Collaboration in Catalysis Research
How Germany and the Netherlands are working together toward a better data future for chemistry.
Our new white paper, “Enhancing Research Data Management in Chemistry: A Collaborative Approach for Catalysing Innovation in Germany and the Netherlands,” is now available!
The publication is the result of an intensive professional exchange between partners from Germany and the Netherlands and is based on the FAIR4ChemNL workshop, held on 4–5 June 2024 at Utrecht University.
The white paper addresses key challenges in implementing research data management (RDM) in chemistry – spanning technical, cultural, and infrastructural aspects. Despite the increasing importance of data-driven research, a large amount of scientific data is still lost or remains unused. The report clearly shows that sustainable use and reusability of research data is only possible through well-established RDM practices.
The workshop was jointly organized by the Dutch Thematic Digital Competence Centre for the Natural and Engineering Sciences (TDCC-NES), the NWO Fundamentals & Methods of Chemistry community, and our team at NFDI4Cat. Participants included researchers, data experts, and IT specialists from both countries – including representatives from SURF – with the aim of identifying gaps and developing a shared vision for data-driven chemistry.
Based on the workshop discussions, the white paper provides:
An overview of the current RDM landscape in Germany and the Netherlands, specific challenges across the entire research data lifecycle and concrete proposals for joint next steps.
Key focus areas include:
The alignment of (meta)data standards and infrastructures, the joint development of vocabularies and ontologies and the promotion of cross-border knowledge exchange through shared training activities and community events.
? The white paper is available for download on Zenodo.
? If you are interested in collaboration or have any questions, feel free to contact:
irene.bonati@surf.nl or melusine.billig@dechema.de
We thank all contributors for their dedicated collaboration and look forward to the next steps in partnership with our colleagues in the Netherlands!