The FID Middle East-, North Africa- and Islamic Studies – as a user and partner
Creators: name: Jeschke, Josef
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: FID
NFDI
collaboration
efficiency
researchdata management

description: FID and NFDI share the same goal: better findability, accessibility and reusability of research data. Both networks also strive to avoid parallel developments. Base4NFDI might and should function as a hub for basic RDM developments and tools, that are made accessible to those who generate and manage the research data: the whole research community.

The approach of a central, coordinated infrastructure meets one obstacle that many services have to address: Germany’s decentralized and diverse research environment. Over the last decade the FID system has gained a rich experience how to integrate the heterogenous demands of their respective research community into a coordinated supply of research resources like printed and electronic research literature, databases, publishing services, counseling, and more. As result to its strong connections into the research communities the FID system fulfills a twofold function: provider of resources and broker of services.

The FID activities concerning RDM are primarily amongst the second function, but since research data are resources too, the FID aims to make reusable research data findable. What the FID do not do is to provide RDM tools, but researches often seek our advice about them. Accordingly, the FID might be seen as a possible user and broker of BASE4NFDI services. 

From the FID Middle East-, North Africa- and Islamic Studies point of view of the current projects run by BASE4NFDI are of special interest: IAM4NFDI, PID4NFDI, TS4NFDI, DMP4NFDI and RDMT4nfdi.

 

IAM4NFDI aims to provide authentication systems with in NFDI. The obstacle of identification and authentication has to be addressed by our FID as well, since our research community is often confronted with data that may not be made available openly, because of copyright, data security or the CARE principles. The main challenge is the access management to data of finished projects.

Even though PID are an essential part of an effective RDM, their usage is not fully applied in our research community. Consequently, training on the assignment and usage of PID is one of the FIDs tasks. So, the FID strongly welcomes that PID4NFDI will design a work programme to build a PID service.

Our FID has a great experience in the work with controlled terminologies, especially the GND. That is why our FID sees a great potential in an involvement of the FID in the development Terminology Services 4 NFDI (TS4NFDI).

DMP4NFDI and RDMTraining4NFDI Since the FID offers counselling on research data management concepts we regard the development of DMP4NFDI and RDMTraining4NFDI as highly relevant. One of the lessons learnt in our counselling is that there’s sometimes a discrepancy between setting up a DMP and its implementation. The DMP is usually compiled at a very early stage of a project or even before, when applying for funding. At this stage the project often may only guess about the character and volume of the data it will have to manage. The implementation in contrast is often pushed towards the end of the project or even after. So, to our experience an iterative approach to DMP and their implementation is a key to successful and FAIR RDM. In order to cope with this dilemma, I am currently developing a FAIRifaction tool. I also would like to certify the training offered by us. The FID is more than happy contribute its experience and user perspective to DMP4NFDI

 

The contribution points out the FID’s demand as a user of BASE4NFDI services and to emphasize the potential of a collaboration in the development. Only by communication about demands and by collaboration in development we may efficiently set up a joint research infrastructure and avoid parallel structures. The contribution will strongly advocate the importance to design services that reach beyond the system of NFDI consortia. The contribution will be prepared in close contact to the FID workgroup RDM and aims reflect a wider FID perspective.