Scientific data is the raw material of research and can prove very valuable for current research long after it was originally generated. Once established, long-term storage and easy access to data avoids unnecessary duplication while at the same time potentially increasing the quality and reliability of future research (e.g. comparative studies, time series analyses).

When it comes to the careful archiving and provision of older data, sufficient storage capacity has to be maintained so as to avoid losing data if not erasing it entirely.

In 2019, Germany’s federal and state governments launched a special funding programme for the development and promotion of a National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI)(externer Link) that aims to systematically manage the data holdings maintained by academia and research, which are currently decentralised, project-based and temporary in many instances. As a digital, regionally distributed and networked repository of knowledge, the NFDI aims to sustainably secure research data and enable it to be harnessed for further use.

DFG – National Research Data Infrastructure(externer Link)