Requi emen s Analysis Repo 2025
Resea ch Da a Managemen T aining o NFDI
Ma eike Wohl mann1h ps://o cid.o g/0009-0006-4329-7619, Rabea Mülle 1
h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0002-3096-8237, Sina Bock2h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0001-6754-8810, Jus ine
Vandendo pe1 h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0002-9421-8582
Ma co Uebachs2h ps://o cid.o g/0009-0001-4052-0751, Bi e Linds äd 1
h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0002-8251-1597, Mi jam Blümm2 h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0003-3665-7031 and
Kon ad U. Fö s ne 1 h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0002-1481-2996
1 ZB MED – In o ma ion Cen e o Li e Sciences, Ge many
2 Technical Uni e si y o Cologne (TH Köln), Uni e si y o Applied Sciences, Ge many
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17737489
Da e: 2025-11-27
P ojec : RDMT aining4NFDI
Deli e able: Base4NFDI D1.4.1 Su ey Requi emen s Analysis
Funding: This con ibu ion is based on wo k suppo ed by he NFDI basic se ice (Resea ch
Da a Managemen T aining o NFDI), unded by he Ge man Resea ch Founda ion (DFG)
unde p ojec numbe 521453681.
In oduc ion
The basic se ice Resea ch Da a Managemen T aining o NFDI (RDMT aining4NFDI)
p o ides RDM mul iplie s wi h suppo o de eloping eusable FAIR-complian aining
ma e ials oge he wi h documen ed, ied-and- es ed aining o ma s and didac ic me hods.
The aim is o enable conso ia o e icien ly de elop hei own communi y-speci ic
adap a ions o such aining and o build RDM aining capaci y quickly. The equi emen
analysis was pa o he RDMT aining4NFDI p ojec , coo dina ed by ZB MED – In o ma ion
Cen e o Li e Sciences and TH Köln – Uni e si y o Applied Sciences. The equi emen s
analysis began one mon h a e he launch o RDMT aining4NFDI in Ma ch 2025 o assess
he needs and equi emen s o he RDM communi y, pa icula ly he a ge g oup o RDM
mul iplie s, o he de elopmen o ou se ice. I was conduc ed using h ee complemen a y
me hods (semi-s uc u ed in e iews, a su ey, and a ocus g oup discussion), which
suppo ed he achie emen o he Base4NFDI D1.4.1 deli e able1.
Semi-s uc u ed In e iews
The i s s ep o he equi emen s analysis in ol ed a quali a i e app oach: semi-s uc u ed
in e iews we e conduc ed in Ap il 2025 wi h ep esen a i es o he ou coope a ing pa ne s
NFDI4Memo y, NFDI4Mic obio a, Konso SWD, Be d@NFDI. These in e iews we e aimed
o iden i y speci ic gaps and in as uc u al needs wi hin he cu en RDM aining landscape,
including aspec s such as aine communi ies and suppo s uc u es. The in e iews we e
analysed using B aun & Cla ke’s (2006) hema ic analysis me hod.
The semi-s uc u ed in e iews esul ed in ollowing key indings: Rega ding he
equi emen s o aining con en and o ma s, he in e iews show ha he e is a s ong
demand o discipline-speci ic, modula , and adap able aining ha can be ailo ed o
di e en skill le els and a ge g oups. Pa icipan s exp essed a p e e ence o a combina ion
o gene ic in oduc ions and speci ic hema ic uni s, like legal opics. Sel -paced lea ning
o ma s a e pa icula ly alued o hei lexibili y, bu pa icipan s also highligh ed he
bene i s o in e ac i e o ma s like wo kshops o lipped class ooms as o example a
p oduc i e exchange wi h o he pa icipan s o lec u e s. T aining ma e ials should be easy
o unde s and, a ailable in English, and easily in eg a able in o daily ou ines. Rega ding
aining pla o ms, pa icipan s poin ed ou ha exis ing pla o ms a e agmen ed and
exp essed he need o a cen al, accessible, and c oss-disciplina y pla o m. The e o e, hey
also emphasized he impo ance o pla o m-independen sha ing and euse o aining
ma e ials o ensu e accessibili y and adap abili y. Fu he mo e, he e is a desi e o a
NFDI-wide aine and RDM ne wo k o connec o ind expe s o di e en subjec a eas,
sha e esou ces, and p o ide coo dina ed suppo . Cu en ly, he e is a lack o uni ied,
b oadly applicable quali y s anda ds o aining o e s. As a esul , use s o en ely on pee
ecommenda ions o es ablished communi y p ac ices when selec ing ma e ials. The
implemen a ion o ce i ica ion p ocesses is seen as dependen on he de elopmen o
clea ly de ined quali y c i e ia, which a e cu en ly missing and he complexi y and di e si y
o scien i ic disciplines, along wi h hei a ied a ge g oups, signi ican ly in luence he
1 (Wi enho s , 2024)
de ini ion o hese c i e ia. Ce i ica ion is conside ed bo h a use ul mo i a o and a ool o
p o essional p o ile enhancemen .
Su ey
Based on he indings om he in e iews, he second s ep o he equi emen s analysis, a
quan i a i e su ey, was conduc ed o be e unde s and he equi emen s o he NFDI
conso ia and he wide esea ch da a managemen (RDM) communi y conce ning RDM
ma e ials, aining ( o ma s) and ce i ica ion. The p ima y objec i e was o assess he
aining needs ela ed o RDM wi hin he NFDI conso ia o p o ide a ge ed suppo and
in o m he de elopmen o his ounda ional se ice. Leading ques ions o he su ey we e:
● Wha challenges a e associa ed wi h c ea ing and using OER (Open Educa ional
Resou ces) ma e ials?
● Wha a e he expec a ions and needs o he conso ia ega ding he ce i ica ion o
RDM (Resea ch Da a Managemen ) modules and he deli e y o aining?
● Wha po en ial exis s o ne wo king among RDM p o essionals?
● In which a eas is suppo om RDMT aining4NFDI mos needed?
The su ey speci ically a ge ed NFDI conso ia membe s o iden i y hei RDM aining
equi emen s, enabling he c ea ion o ailo ed suppo measu es. The su ey was
accessible om June 13 o June 27, 2025, and equi ed app oxima ely 10 minu es o
comple e. The su ey was comple ed by an expanded g oup o pa icipan s, wi h a o al o
113 pa icipan s om 23 conso ia. The o iginal ques ions and he comple e su ey s uc u e
ha e been published2. The su ey was conduc ed using 2ask3, p o ided by o biz So wa e
GmbH, Robe -Ge wig-S . 4, 78467 Kons anz and analyzed ia Py hon4. Du ing he
analysis, we ocused on he answe o he leading ques ions. Da a o he su ey ha e been
published5.
Su ey Resul s
O he 23 conso ia ha pa icipa ed in he su ey, 11 conso ia had mo e han 4 pa icipan s
each, including 2 conso ia wi h he highes numbe o pa icipan s (8 each). The emaining
12 conso ia had ewe han 4 pa icipan s each. In ela i e e ms, Humani ies and Social
Sciences accoun ed o 26.1 % o all conso ia, ollowed by Li e Sciences (34.8 %), Na u al
Sciences (30.4 %), and Enginee ing Sciences (21.7 %).
The oles o su ey pa icipan s showed ha mos iden i ied hemsel es as Da a S ewa ds o
RDM T aine s (Figu e1). This indica es ha he su ey success ully eached i s a ge g oup
and p o ides a solid basis o using he su ey esul s o in o m se ice de elopmen .
5 h ps://zenodo.o g/uploads/17242436
4 Analyzed using he analysis so wa e Py hon. So wa e: h ps://www.py hon.o g/
3 Designed and conduc ed using he su ey c ea ion ool 2ask, o biz So wa e GmbH. (n.d.). 2ask –
You Online Su ey. Tool: h ps://www.2ask.com.
2 h ps://zenodo.o g/uploads/17242436
Figu e 1: Roles o Pa icipan s
T aining In o ma ion
Pa icipan s showed an app oxima ely equal p opo ion o expe ience, wi h less han o mo e
han 3 yea s in p o iding aining. The majo i y o pa icipan s a e no ce i ied (82.5%), wi h
he main eason being lack o ime (27.2 %). P e e ences o aining o ma s (on-si e, hyb id,
online, sel -lea ning pa h), whe he o ain- he- aine (TTT) o domain-speci ic aining, did
no show no iceable di e ences. Howe e , o bo h o ma s, sel -paced aining was he leas
p e e ed compa ed o on-si e, hyb id, o ully online e en s. On-si e e en s we e sligh ly
p e e ed o ain- he- aine sessions and no ably p e e ed o domain-speci ic aining (see
Figu e 2). Rega ding he euse o aining ma e ials, pa icipan s p ima ily ely on hei own
p e iously c ea ed ma e ials (24 %), sea ch engines (e.g., Google) (13.2 %), aining
ma e ials c ea ed wi hin he conso ium (11.8 %) and OER pla o ms (10.2%). Howe e , 16.8
% o pa icipan s p o ided hei own speci ica ions, men ioning o example OERSI, TIB
AV-Po al, Twillo, he FAIR Cookbook, ELIXIR T aining Pla o m, DARIAH Campus, and
o he indi idual o ins i u ion-speci ic esou ces (see Figu e 3 and Jupy e No ebook). Fo
desi ed ea u es in eusable ma e ials, pa icipan s mos equen ly men ioned aine
suppo ma e ials (e.g., aine sc ip s, speake no es) (14.9 %), open licenses (e.g., CC0,
euse wi hou es ic ions) (13.4 %), modula s uc u es allowing opic selec ion (9.8 %), and
clea ly s a ed lea ning objec i es (9.7 %) as essen ial equi emen s (see Figu e 4). In
addi ion, 27.3 % o pa icipan s p o ided hei own speci ica ions, mos o en e e ing o
clea ly s a ed equi ed p e ious knowledge (6.6 %), egula upda es (6.0 %), and didac ics
and p ac ice (5.3 %) (see Jupy e No ebook), as well as a a ie y o o he aspec s such as
open o ma s, compe ence amewo ks and quali y assu ance.
Figu e 2: P e e ed Fo ma s o T ain- he-T aine and Domain-Speci ic T ainings
Figu e 3: Sou ces o Reused T aining Ma e ials
Figu e 4: Mus -Ha e Fea u e o Reusable T aining Ma e ials
In o ma ion on Se ice Needs
In o ma ion on se ice needs is p esen ed o pa icipan s who iden i ied hemsel es
p ima ily as da a s ewa ds o RDM aine s (65.4 % o he 113 pa icipan s in his su ey).
A high le el o suppo (high suppo needed, e y high suppo needed, o maximum
suppo needed) was exp essed o consul ancy on how o design and s uc u e RDM
aining e ec i ely (52.9 %) as well as on how o deli e RDM aining e ec i ely (54.4 %). In
e ms o euse o aining ma e ials, 42.6 % o pa icipan s exp essed a high le el o suppo
needed in inding sui able RDM aining ma e ials, while 30.9 % exp essed a high le el o
suppo needed in guidance on adap ing exis ing ma e ials o mee speci ic needs. When i
comes o ce i ica ion, 32.4 % o pa icipan s indica ed a high le el o suppo needed o he
es ablishmen o a ce i ica ion p ocess o RDM wi hin he NFDI. The esul s show ha
pa icipan s who do no p ima ily iden i y hemsel es as da a s ewa ds o RDM aine s
epo ed a highe need o suppo , ep esen ing 37.2 % o a high le el o suppo needed. In
addi ion, his ques ion esul ed in a high numbe o "no applicable" esponses (15 %) and, a
he same ime, showed a high numbe o pa icipan s indica ing maximum suppo needed (8
%). The RDM ne wo k aspec esul ed in a high le el o suppo needed, wi h 54.4 % o
esponden s looking o con ac s who could deli e RDM aining sessions on speci ic opics,
and 30.9 % seeking people hey could app oach o eedback on hei RDM aining.
Fu he mo e, 58.8 % epo ed needing a high le el o suppo o moni o cu en RDM
ends. 52.9 % o pa icipan s indica ed a high le el o suppo needed o he ongoing
main enance and upda ing o RDM aining ma e ials.
Focus G oup
A ocus g oup discussion was conduc ed as a hi d me hod o gain de ailed insigh s in o he
a ge g oup wi h an emphasis on he euse o aining ma e ials. The ocus g oup mee in
pe son on July 8 2025 du ing he inal e en o he ou h NRW ce i ica e cou se 2024/20256
de eloped by he s a e ini ia i e dm.n w7, TH Köln, and ZB MED wi h 15 pa icipan s
included Da a S ewa ds and o he RDM p o essionals om di e en disciplines. The guiding
ques ions we e sen o he pa icipan s by email one day in ad ance, and he discussion
las ed app oxima ely 15 minu es. The ques ions sen o he pa icipan s we e:
● Fo which a ge g oup(s) do you c ea e RDM ainings/wo kshops?
● Which RDM opic a eas do you co e in you ainings/wo kshops?
● Wha challenges do you encoun e in o e ing hese ainings/wo kshops?
● Ha e you e e c ea ed RDM aining ma e ials you sel ?
● Ha e you e e eused RDM aining ma e ials c ea ed by o he s?
● I so, whe e do you ypically ind lea ning and eaching ma e ials on RDM?
The discussion ocused on he needs o he a ge g oup o he euse o aining ma e ials.
T aining ma e ials should be scalable and adap able o di e en o ma s, easily accessible
and downloadable, and lexible enough o be embedded in o exis ing eaching con ex s,
ailo ed o speci ic audiences (e.g., sho co ee lec u es), and aligned wi h indi idual
b anding. In addi ion, language suppo and a cen al pool p o iding an o e iew o
ma e ials, me hods, and esou ces, suppo ed by consis en e minology and keywo ding,
would enhance he euse o exis ing RDM aining ma e ials. Reusable aining ma e ials
o ma s and concise modula uni s, designed o e isi undamen al RDM concep s a he
ou se o mo e specialized aining sessions, a e conside ed pa icula ly bene icial.
Fu he mo e, in e ac i e and hands-on ma e ials, illus a i e examples o he consequences
o poo p ac ices, and p ac ical empla es o da a and ile s uc u es a e needed. “B ing you
own da a” wo kshops a e ega ded as an e ec i e way o imp o e RDM skills.
Las ly, he discussion esul ed in he de ec ion o a need o well-designed didac ic concep s
o suppo he deli e y o documen a ion and ins uc ional ma e ials, including app oaches o
explaining complex da a (e.g.; gene ic o n-a y ees), empla es o o ganisa ional ile
s uc u es and mo i a ing pa icipan s, inspi ed by didac ic aining concep s such as he The
Ca pen ies “Ins uc o T aining”8.
Conclusion
In summa y, he semi-s uc u ed in e iews, su ey and ocus g oup discussion show ha
he e is a clea need o ma e ials ha a e easily accessible, modula , well-s uc u ed and
openly licensed. These ma e ials should be designed so ha hey can easily be in eg a ed
in o exis ing eaching con ex s and adap ed o di e en a ge g oups. A cen al,
c oss-conso ia eposi o y wi h s anda dised e minology would g ea ly acili a e euse.
Ce i ica ion p ocesses a e conside ed po en ially aluable as a mo i a o and o building a
p o essional p o ile, bu his depends on he de elopmen o uni ied quali y s anda ds o
8 The Ca pen ies, “Ins uc o T aining” h ps://ca pen ies.o g/ins uc o - aining/
7 h ps://www. dm.n w
6 o u he in o ma ion see:
h ps://www. h-koeln.de/wei e bildung/ze i ika sku s- o schungsda enmanagemen _82048.php
aining o e s, which a e cu en ly lacking. The e is a pa icula ly high demand o suppo
wi h he didac ic design and deli e y o RDM aining, he con inuous upda ing o ma e ials
and moni o ing o cu en ends. The e is also a need o a se ice o acili a e he exchange
o aine s be ween di e en conso ia and disciplines.
O e all, he equi emen analysis indica es s ong in e es in a c oss-conso ia RDM aining
se ice, as e idenced by he high su ey esponse a e.
These indings highligh he need o s uc u al and p ac ical suppo in de eloping and
deli e ing e ec i e RDM aining, and p o ide impo an guidance o shaping he
RDMT aining4NFDI se ice.
Ou look
Based on hese indings, RDMT aining4NFDI s uc u ed i s se ice o add ess key needs
iden i ied by he equi emen analysis. The ocus is on imp o ing he indabili y o aining
ma e ials ac oss conso ia, p o iding guidance on aining didac ics and deli e y, moni o ing
RDM ends, and o e ing ime-e icien aining o ma s o aine s. Addi ionally, he se ice
seeks o explo e op ions o an ce i ica ion p ocess wi hin NFDI and o es ablish a pla o m
ha suppo s aine s in add essing opic-speci ic needs. A de ailed desc ip ion o se ice
aims a e p o ided in he p oposal o he In eg a ion phase.9
Acknowledgemen
The RDMT aining4NFDI eam g a e ully acknowledges he collabo a ion wi h he coope a ing
pa ne s, pa icipan s in he su ey and u he s akeholde wi hin NFDI and beyond. We
hank Base4NFDI, especially An je Manske, and he Se ice S ewa ds, Hannah Bu z und
Lisa Schwie , o hei suppo in he equi emen s analysis.
Au ho Con ibu ions
M.W. and S.B. conduc ed he semi-s uc u ed in e iews, M.W., R.M., S.B., B.L., M.B. and
K.U.F. c ea ed he su ey ques ions wi h suppo o Base4NFDI, M.W. conduc ed he su ey
wi h suppo o Base4NFDI, R.M. and S.B. conduc ed he ocus g oup discussion, M.W.
pe o med he analysis o he semi-s uc u ed in e iew wi h suppo o Base4NFDI, M.W.
and R.B. p epa ed and pe o med he analysis o he su ey, R.B. designed he igu es and
ables, M.W. w o e he epo . All au ho s commen ed on he epo .
Bibliog aphy and Lis o Re e ence
B aun, V. & Cla ke, V. (2006). Using hema ic analysis in psychology. Quali a i e Resea ch in
Psychology. 3. 77-101. DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
9 (Wohl mann e al., 2025)
Wi enho s , T. (2024). Base4NFDI - Requi emen s o Comple ion o Ini ialisa ion Phase.
DOI:h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.11519611
Wohl mann, M., Bock, S., Vandendo pe, J., Uebachs, M., Mülle , R., Linds aed , B., Blümm,
M., & Fö s ne , K. U. (2025). RDMT aining4NFDI P oposal In eg a ion Phase: Resea ch Da a
Managemen T aining o he Ge man Na ional Resea ch Da a
In as uc u e.h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.16927331
