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Our Activities

The Baden-Württemberg state initiative for research data management bwFDM is active in five different areas.

We connect RDM stakeholders in Baden-Württemberg and beyond, we are editor-in-chief of the information platform forschungsdaten.info and we are responsible for the continuation of the E-Science-Tage, a biennial conference series. Beyond that, RDM-related consultations and training are core fields of our activities. In this context, we are developing a RDM certificate course with a focus on Baden-Württemberg, and a bwFDM-Helpdesk. Additionally, we are currently coordinating and providing editorial support for the conception and implementation of a federal research data strategy on behalf of the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts Baden-Württemberg.

bwFDM aims to continue and expand the structures and results of its predecessor projects bwFDM-Info I, bwFDM-Info II and bw2FDM.

As a federal state initiative for research data management (RDM) we are operating at the interface between the local and the national level when it comes to RDM infrastructures. Therefore, one of our core activities is to connect RDM actors in Baden-Württemberg with one another as well as with those on the national and international level. We know the requirements for better RDM in Baden-Württemberg, discuss them with other federal state initiatives and communicate them to RDM actors such as the association for national research data infrastructure called Nationale Forschungsdateninfrastruktur (NFDI). At the same time, we inform RDM service providers on the local level about developments in Germany and Europe.


forschungsdaten.info

is the central German-language information platform on research data management.

In addition to general information texts on the research data life cycle, the portal offers discipline-specific access to RDM as well as an overview of RDM-related activities in German-speaking countries. Compact hands-on guidelines round off the portfolio. The editorial team is made up of around 60 RDM experts from the German-speaking countries and is coordinated by bwFDM. At the moment, only a selection of our content is available in English on our English pages. However, we envision a translation of the entire portal for 2025.


The E-Science-Tage

are an interdisciplinary conference series focussing on research data management and open science.

with a wide range of opportunities for professional exchange between academics and technology. The series takes place every two years. The next conference with the slogan „Research Data Management: Challenges in a Changing World“ will be held in Heidelberg from 12 to 14 March 2025.

Past conferences and their mottos::

  • E-Science-Tage 2017: Forschungsdaten managen
  • E-Science-Tage 2019: Data to Knowledge
  • E-Science-Tage 2021: Share Your Research Data
  • E-Science-Tage 2023: Empower your research - preserve your data

As part of our work as a state initiative, we also offer consultations and training on research data management. The corresponding materials are made available as OER. If you are interested in a (virtual) training course on RDM at your institution, please get in touch.


The current coalition agreement of Baden-Württemberg’s state government involves the creation and implementation of a federal data strategy as one of their strategic goals. The Ministry for Research, Science and Arts Baden-Württemberg (MWK) has therefore commissioned bwFDM’s project management to take the lead in developing a research data strategy for Baden-Württemberg's higher education institutions. We coordinate and support the development process from conception to implementation. In doing so, we take on a mediating role between stakeholders from politics, science and infrastructure.