E-Science Days 2025: Mastering challenges in research data management!

E-Science Days 2025: Mastering challenges in research data management!

The E-Science Days 2025, which will take place from March 12th to 14th at Heidelberg University, are all about research data management. Under the theme “Research Data Management: Challenges in a Changing World”, the event is an important platform for the exchange and discussion of current challenges and developments in digital research. Organized by the state initiative bwFDM and the University Computing Center, the conference promises to offer valuable insights to both participating scientists and infrastructure developers. The opening will be carried out by the Baden-Württemberg Science Minister Petra Olschowski, who will speak to the event via video message. The opening will be accompanied by the university rector Prof. Dr. Frauke Melchior, who will warmly welcome all guests present.

A total of around 340 participants from home and abroad are expected. They come to exchange ideas about various aspects of research data management. The conference is held every two years at Heidelberg University and is now in its fifth year. A central element of the program are the keynote speeches, workshops, presentations, a poster session and lightning talks, which give participants the opportunity to present their findings and innovative approaches.

Diverse topics

A highlight of the event is the lecture by lawyer Peter Hense, who deals with the topics of business and technology as well as digital innovations. In addition, there will be a panel discussion that will address the challenges faced by specialists and financing issues in research data management. These topics are particularly relevant as technological and geopolitical developments bring new challenges for research and RDM actors.

The E-Science Days 2025 also provide a framework to discuss the importance of infrastructures and tools for managing, securing and storing research data. Elmar Huber from the state initiative bwFDM emphasizes that a coordinated environment for science-supporting services is essential. This goes hand in hand with the need to enter into close collaborations with science in order to develop needs-oriented infrastructure and services.

Challenges and opportunities

A central concern of the conference is to address the challenges arising from budget cuts and non-transparent developments regarding the Research Data Act. This aspect significantly questions the ability to plan research data infrastructures. Nevertheless, technological advances, particularly through artificial intelligence, also offer opportunities for the further development of these infrastructures.

The E-Science Days 2025 are funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and Art and support the exchange of knowledge and experience via a web-based information platform, forschungsdaten.info. Here, participants can continue to access valuable resources after the conference to optimize their work in the area of ​​research data management.