On this page you will find information about research data management at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg (UOL). Gain an overview of the services offered, the team, events and the networks in which the UOL is involved.

What is Research data management?

Research data management (RDM) involves planning, organising, securing and managing research data throughout the research cycle. It is an essential component of research that ensures the reusability of data and the traceability of results. Effective RDM helps to prevent data loss and ensure the integrity and reliability of research results.

Research data management at the University of Oldenburg

The basis for RDM at the UOL is the strategy paper on Handling Research Data at the UOL [pdf], which was adopted by the Presidential Board in 2020. This is anchored in the regulations on the principles for ensuring good academic practice and recommends that all scientists manage their research data sustainably in accordance with the FAIR principles.

FAIR principles

The term FAIR Data was explicitly coined by the Force11 and is being further established within the  GO FAIR Initiative. In Germany, activities are currently bundled within the framework of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI). The acronym FAIR is made up of the following terms:
F - Findable: To make data usable and reusable, one must be able to find it.  For this, machine-readable metadata suitable for searching is important.
A - Accessible: Found data must be accessible, for instance by using appropriate authorisation management.
I - Interoperable: The (meta)data must be represented in a form that allows integration with other data and tools. 
R - Reusable: To enable subsequent use of the data, suitable licences should be used and relevant domain/community standards should be met.
If you want to learn more about FAIR data check out How to Fair

RDM plays an important role at UOL and is dealt with across several structural levels. The Department for Research and Technology Transfer and the Library and Information System (BIS) deal centrally with the topic of RDM. In addition, the individual Faculties and Institutes, as well as major academic projects at the UOL, develop domain-specific solutions and advisory services. A university-wide, interdisciplinary working group provides the umbrella for these efforts.