Sustainable infrastructure for research data that complies with the FAIR principles (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) is an important foundation for excellence in research. The Northwest Alliance is committed to playing a leading role in the development of such structures of national importance. By jointly evolving existing data systems, the alliance aims to strengthen open science, ensure long-term research sustainability, and advance data science across all disciplines.
National Research Data Infrastructure
The National Research Data Infrastructure for Biodiversity, Ecology, and Environmental Data consortium consists of around 50 partner institutions and is dedicated to the collaborative and responsible use of biodiversity and environmental data. The consortium provides access to modern technologies and a comprehensive inventory of biodiversity and environmental data. It offers practical, tried-and-tested methods and tools for archiving, publishing, searching, and analyzing data. The spokesperson is Prof. Dr. Frank Oliver Glöckner, MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, and Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Bremerhaven. The Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg (HIFMB) is also involved. The network will have received funding of around 16.8 million euros from 2020 to 2028.
The National Research Data Infrastructure for Interdisciplinary Energy Systems Research consortium aims to provide data and software as a scientific basis for a sustainable energy future. The consortium supports researchers in managing, reusing, further developing, publishing, and communicating data and software throughout the entire research process. The spokesperson is Oldenburg computer scientist Professor Dr. Astrid Nieße. The network has been granted around 13.4 million euros from 2023 to 2028.
PANGAEA is a world-leading data infrastructure for geological, environmental, and biodiversity research. The data publisher for Earth and environmental science is operated jointly by AWI and MARUM. PANGAEA enables the long-term archiving, publication, and dissemination of scientific data and metadata. The formats are secure and machine-readable. There is also a data management system for projects and institutes. PANGAEA is a member of the World Data System (WDS) founded by the International Council for Science (ICSU).
Open Science
A central element for the organization and provision of research data as a common good in Germany are the National Research Data Infrastructures (NFDI). The universities of Bremen and Oldenburg participate in twelve of the currently 26 consortia, each coordinating one project (University of Bremen: NFDI4Biodiversity; University of Oldenburg: NFDI4Energy). Additionally, the University of Bremen’s MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences also operates PANGAEA, a world-leading certified information system, together with the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven (AWI). It archives data from the earth and environmental sciences and makes it freely accessible to all interested parties.
Data Competence
With the establishment of the Data Science Center in 2019 and the DataNord project, the University of Bremen has established a data competence center whose reach continues to expand beyond the region. The center supports researchers at all career levels in expanding their data skills – for example through training, guidance, and cross-disciplinary networking. In Oldenburg, the Institutional Research Data Repository enables low-threshold access to data and publications. There is also training and support for creating data management plans and strategies.
Data Storage Capacities
The data management expertise of both universities is complemented by corresponding regional high-performance computing and data storage capacities, known as TIER3. In addition, researchers have structured access to TIER2 capacities beyond our region through the National High Performance Computing Network (NHR).