What is the NFDI?

NFDI stands for a National Research Data Infrastructure (German: Nationale Forschungsdateninfrastruktur). On November 26, 2018, the Federal Republic of Germany agreed to provide funding to make data from various scientific disciplines uniformly and systematically accessible. The consistent and barrier-free standardization of data by researchers and scientific institutions will enable significant efficiency gains and synergies between individual researchers and appropriately developed IT systems. In times of digital infrastructures, this step is central to the way we will conduct research in the future.

Due to the complexity and scope of the project, the German Research Foundation (DFG), as the issuing body for the call for proposals, relies on the establishment and networking of so-called consortia when allocating NFDI funding. Consortia should guarantee that the NFDI’s project reflects the necessary breadth of stakeholders in their sub-disciplines. Only in this way can the initiated projects provide the necessary expertise and capacity, as well as the acceptance of the developed solutions.

More information is available at the German Research Foundation (DFG).

What is the NFDI-MatWerk?

The scientific consortium NFDI-MatWerk is the solution. The consortium will focus on the research area Materials Science & Materials Engineering 405 & 406 of the DFG subject classification system. The central challenge is the digital representation of materials and their relevant process and load parameters. The digital transformation in materials science and materials engineering is also part of the NFDI-MatWerk's vision: 

Strategiepapier Digitale Transformation in der Materialwissenschaft und Werkstofftechnik

This process necessarily touches on core aspects of our scientific way of working, means scientific exchange, handling data and the resulting technological possibilities. An essential aspect is „data“: only by means of extensive data sets an exact traceability of materials and process steps can be achieved.

For individual scientific groups, it can be difficult to implement measures which, for example, enable the maintenance or documentation of data sets, or which ensure the interoperability of different methods with regard to data formats. This becomes critical, especially since the design, processing, characterization and simulation of materials has always required a joint effort of several groups to cope with their complexity. Digital transformation is thus an opportunity but also a challenge to promote, structure and optimize this exchange, provided that transparent communication standards are established. Therefore, such a fundamental transformation must be addressed through a collaborative effort.

Find the published proposal for NFDI-MatWerk here.