Set off on your journey: Pleasant travels with your data
Research Data Day (Tag der Forschungsdaten) in NRW 2026

On 10 November 2026, the "Research Data Day in NRW" will take place for the sixth time.

Research data management (RDM) forms the basis for transparent, traceable and efficient research. However, the path to optimal data management can often feel like a complex journey. This is exactly where we come in: we would like to support you in finding the right route for your data – regardless of whether you are already experienced in RDM or have had little exposure to the topic so far.
We warmly invite all researchers at the University of Münster to make the most of this event to gain new insights and discover practical tools for everyday research.

Daily programme for 10 November 2026
Morning: NRW-wide programme (online)

The morning session is designed as a state-wide networking platform. Researchers from various disciplines will present their personal 'journeys' in the field of RDM. Find out first-hand how colleagues manage their data and which support services offered by the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) are particularly helpful in this regard.

10:00 a.m.	Welcome
10:15 a.m.	Keynote speech of Prof. Dr. Frederik Elwert
11:00 a.m.	Interviews with Prof. Dr. Doris Segets and Prof. Dr. Stefanie Weidtkamp-Peters
11:30 a.m.	Q&A with all guests
12:00 p.m.	Closing remarks

Registration for the morning programme
The event will take place virtually via Zoom. You will receive the dial-in details once you have registered.

Afternoon: Hands-on workshops at the University of Münster

Things get practical in the afternoon. In cooperation with the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), we are offering two practical workshops on the eLabFTW electronic laboratory notebook at the University of Münster. These sessions are aimed at anyone wishing to digitise and automate their data documentation.

14:00 p.m.

Best Practices – Getting Started with the Electronic Lab Notebook eLabFTW Topics:  First Steps: Getting Started with a Plan Organization and Clarification of Responsibilities Helpful Resource Blocks and Conventions Experience Report: Risks and Recommendations It will take place via Zoom in English. Presenter: Marcel Marson (Data Steward at the University of Duisburg-Essen) Target audience: This training is aimed at researchers, technical staff, and data stewards who are new to eLabFTW or are looking for a structured introduction to digital documentation and resource management. We look forward to your participation! Please note: Participation in this training session is limited to members of universities and higher education institutions in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). Workshop registration

15:00 p.m.

Introduction to the eLabFTW API: Importing, Exporting, and Automating Data Topics: What is an API? What can I use it for? What do I need to use it? Open-source API clients for API queries Example script for importing resources into eLabFTW It will take place via Zoom in English. Presenters: Nicole Roloff (BA, Data Librarian), Maike Sommer (MA) and Adienne Karsten-Welker (MA, M.LIS) Target audience: This training session is designed for researchers, technical staff, and data stewards who would like to learn more about the eLabFTW API. The session provides an overview of the eLabFTW API documentation and explains the elements required to create an API request. Please note: Participation in this training session is limited to members of universities and higher education institutions in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). Workshop registration

We look forward to welcoming you to the 6th Research Data Day (Tag der Forschungsdaten) NRW!

Past Days of Research Data

• 18.11.2025: "FAIR Data – FAIR Play: just a matter of line-up"

  

  The 5th Research Data Day on 18 November 2025 in North Rhine-Westphalia is dedicated to the principles of FAIR and efficient handling of research data and offers a platform for discussing current challenges and solutions in research data management (RDM). The focus is on the FAIR principles, which ensure that research data is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. On this day, you will have the opportunity to find out about current developments and offers in the field of research data management and to exchange ideas with other researchers and experts.
  Students in particular are cordially invited: By participating in an "escape game", you can gain an entertaining insight into the world of research data management in a playful way and interactively get to know core elements of RDM, such as data organisation, storage and backup.

  Programme for the day "On your marks, FAIR, go!"

  In a panel discussion with representatives of different NFDI consortia, we want to find out what opportunities there currently are for researchers in NRW to participate in the NFDI and to use services from the NFDI. We are also interested in how the work in the NFDI consortia and sections affects the research of the panellists and how the RDM will develop from their perspective.

  10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

  Panel discussion with the panellists: Prof. Dr. Sonja Herres-Pawlis Dr. Sandra Zänkert Dr. Thomas Zobel

   

  Local program

  At the University of Münster, the Service Centre for Data Management (SCDM) team will support you in all matters relating to the handling of research data.  On the 5th Research Data Day, we offer a varied programme: Network with other RDM experts from the University of Münster and exchange experiences. For all students of the University of Münster, we also offer participation in our interactive RDM Escape Room, where you can playfully discover important aspects of research data management.

  Admission from 9:30 am 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. gallery opposite the main entrance of the ULB (Krummer Timpen 3)	Public viewing of the NRW-wide panel discussion We invite you to follow the NRW-wide panel discussion as part of our public viewing. Representatives of the NFDIs will take part in the panel discussion to talk about the opportunities for participation and use of NFDI services for researchers in North Rhine-Westphalia. We look forward to your participation, registration is not necessary!
  12:00–13:00 p.m. gallery opposite the main entrance of the ULB (Krummer Timpen 3)	RDM Teamplay: Networking, exchanging, progressing We invite you to a network meeting for RDM practitioners. This information and exchange forum offers the perfect opportunity to exchange ideas and make contacts with other experts in the field of research data management (RDM). You will have the opportunity to network with us and other researchers and benefit from their experience and expertise. Participation in the network meeting is by invitation from the SCDM. We look forward to welcoming you to this informative and network-orientated event!
  14:00–16:00 p.m. gallery opposite the main entrance of the ULB (Krummer Timpen 3)	On your marks, data, go! The RDM escape game In about 30 minutes, you and your team will have to find out how you can master the challenges of research data management. Individual or group participation is possible. Please note that a maximum of 10 people can take part at the same time. For students Language: German Come along and test your skills in dealing with research data!

   

• 12.11. 2024: "Into the Data Garden: Let your research bloom!"

  

  Welcome to the 4th Research Data Day in NRW on 12 November 2024! This year's theme is "Into the Data Garden: Let your research bloom!". You can look forward to a dynamic programme that will bring together researchers and experts from all over North Rhine-Westphalia to discuss best practices and new developments in research data management (RDM).

  Daily programme 12.11.2024

  The morning will start with a keynote speech by Professor Dr. Björn Usadel from FAIRgro and Dataplant. Afterwards, three lightning talks will present examples of the successful implementation of RDM in practice. The sessions will be moderated by the state initiative fdm.nrw.

  09:30 a.m.	Greeting
  09:40 a.m.	Keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Björn Usadel (FAIRgro and Dataplant): Beyond Abundance: Can we have enough (meta)data?
  10:40 a.m.	Break
  10:55 a.m.	Lightning Talks
  12:00 p.m.	Farewell and end of the morning programme

  Afternoon programme for members of the University of Münster

  In addition to these exciting presentations, the participating universities will offer local programmes in the afternoon, in which they will present their own RDM services and resources. Here you will have the opportunity to find out more about what support is available to you at the University of Münster, for example, and to exchange ideas with colleagues who are also interested in data management.

  14:00–15:00 p.m.

  Research data management in the long tail: examples from geochemistry (Dr. Marthe Klöcking) The discipline of geochemistry describes the investigation of the chemical and physical properties of Earth materials to understand the history and dynamics of our planet from its deep interior to the surface, oceans, and the atmosphere. My usage of the term also encompasses cosmochemistry, i.e. the same principles and tools applied to extraterrestrial materials to understand the origin and evolution of the solar system. From its first definition in the early 19th century, data have been at the heart and centre of geochemistry, and today large volumes of geochemical data are being produced with a wide range modern analytical techniques ranging from mass spectrometry to atom probe tomography. Geochemical data are as diverse as the materials analysed and the techniques employed. They are a classical example of "long tail" data, meaning they are relatively small in volume compared to other disciplines, but highly variable in nature. As a consequence, research data management in geochemistry is a complex task that requires a high degree of flexibility to incorporate ever evolving data types. In this talk, I will give a broad overview of the history of data in geochemistry and the co-evolution of data management practices in the discipline. I will highlight the challenges of making long tail data interoperable and discuss current progress through the OneGeochemistry initiative and the WorldFAIR project. I will illustrate my talk with practical examples from a range of different research projects within the Institute of Mineralogy.

  15:00–15:45 p.m.

  Cataloguing and managing research data – an introduction (Patrick Dinger, Nicole Roloff and Maike Sommer) The University and State Library (ULB) provides researchers and teachers at the University with modern services for cataloguing and managing a wide range of research data. Thanks to fylr as a flexible database system, projects in the development of knowledge resources, the management of images or the description of media and collection objects with metadata are just as possible as the realization of individual research projects. On the NRW Research Data Day, we will provide an introduction to working with fylr so that you too can maintain and manage your data professionally. By uploading images, importing existing research data or adding new objects, we want to show you new ways to make your research data flourish.