Research Data Management Community

Our origins

The Research Data Management (RDM) community was established as a natural evolution of the network of RDM professionals that began during the ELIXIR-CONVERGE project. The project recognised the importance of research data management for scientific excellence and launched initiatives to promote good data practices across the life sciences.

These efforts established a strong network of RDM professionals. The Community now serves as a forum for this network to exchange knowledge, collaborate and share resources.

Community goal

Connecting RDM experts to share knowledge and best practices, boosting efficiency and confidence in delivering harmonised RDM services to life science researchers

Managing research data in the life sciences is complex, with fragmented practices and inconsistent standards. The RDM Community connects experts to share knowledge, best practices and tools. The Community helps make research data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR), and increasingly machine learning and AI ready. Our long-term goal is to boost confidence, improve efficiency and deliver harmonised services, best practices and training for researchers.         

Community objectives

The Community’s objectives describe the types of activities it will always support, while the specific topics, such as Data Management Plans (DMPs), data brokering, ontologies and metadata standards, AI-readiness, RDM policies and other emerging areas, will evolve over time in response to technological advances and stakeholder needs.

• Listen and share: Address member challenges, exchange experiences and leverage ELIXIR and institutional networks to find common solutions.
• Amplify knowledge: Share insights, resources and best practices across the ELIXIR RDM ecosystem and local institutions.
• Collaborate broadly: Work with other ELIXIR Communities, Platforms and external stakeholders to harmonise RDM practices across domains.

Community impact

People
With over 250 registered members, the Community is active, engaged and professionally supportive, benefiting both individual members and their institutions.

Resources
Community members contribute to key RDM ecosystem resources, including the RDMkit, FAIR Cookbook, Data Stewardship Wizard (DSW), TeSS and the Data Stewardship Handbook. These resources provide practical guidance and best practices, and are widely used by RDM professionals in the life sciences.

Collaboration
Members in liaison roles foster partnerships and coordinate activities with other ELIXIR structures and external stakeholders, strengthening cross-institutional and cross-domain RDM initiatives.