White paper published: Enhancing RDM in Chemistry

How Germany and the Netherlands are working together towards a better future for chemistry.

Our first white paper has been published: "Enhancing Research Data Management in Chemistry: A Collaborative Approach for Catalysing Innovation in Germany and the Netherlands"

Chemistry and catalysis-related research is rapidly becoming a data-intensive field, but a
significant portion of data remains unused and is ultimately lost. This is due to a multitude of factors, such as the lack of or limited access to robust e-infrastructure; the frequently unstructured and proprietary nature of data; inadequate metadata; and a lack of awareness and willingness to share data. All of these barriers underscore the pressing need for Research Data Management (RDM) to unlock the full potential of chemistry research data.

The report covers the results of the FAIR4ChemNL event in June 2024, an intense two-day professional exchange between German and Dutch representatives from across chemistry research and research support. It presents a snapshot of research data management (RDM) initiatives within the chemistry domain in both countries and areas where potential improvements could be made.

During 2025, a new TDCC-NES project will begin that will take up these challenges and develop solutions for the Netherlands: FAIR4ChemNL: Accelerating the adoption of universal data standards for Chemistry. There will continue to be exchange and collaboration with our partners at NFDI4Catalysis in Germany who have just completed their current funding phase and will begin a new era of priorities and action.

The FAIR4ChemNL event was made possible by funding from NWO as part of the project Community Building and Project Development for TDCC-NES. Members of the Dutch natural and engineering sciences research and research support domain are invited to approach the TDCC-NES office if they would like to organise a similar event.

Many collaborators in Germany and the Netherlands contributed to the publication, with Dutch input coordinated by Irene Bonati from SURF. We're grateful for everyone's input and we're excited about continuing the collaboration with our colleagues in Germany and beyond.

The white paper is openly available for download from Zenodo.