Curators
are often in charge of collecting data and providing important services for others to be able to work with it. However, curators are not always clearly defined roles within institutions. Emerging job profiles like data manager, are filling this gap and will likely become integral to research data management in the future. For instance, Julia Janssen has made it her mission to give people outside of the scientific bubble more control over their own data. Daniel Schiffner, meanwhile, focuses on enabling long-term data sharing and collaboration in educational research.
Decision makers
have a multi-layered responsibility, as they often take on the role of group leaders or department heads. Balancing policies, institutional recommendations, and the diverse needs of researchers requires not only strategic insight but also a deep understanding of the academic landscape. Individuals like Roberto Di Cosmo demonstrate how effective leadership can guide infrastructure development, while addressing the priorities of research communities. Scientists in such roles are tasked with shaping strategies, managing resources, and advocating for their institutions and academic fields. Notably, many scientists also find themselves partially acting as policymakers, bridging the gap between governance and research. This dual perspective allows them to align institutional goals with the broader needs of the academic community and funding organizations.
Team effort
Speaking of levels ...
Throughout the conversations, you will come across not only established professors but also researchers at the beginning of their career. It was our goal to show how the topic can and must be implemented on all levels. After all, it is the coming generations who will decide whether research data and software management will become an essential and standard part of scientific practice.
Policy makers
create the frameworks that enable the research community to adopt principles such as FAIR. People like Melissa Harrington have significantly contributed by establishing standards that guide researchers. Similarly, institutions such as the RfII (Rat für Informationsinfrastrukturen), where experts like Ramin Yahyapour are involved, exemplify how recommendations and policies shape the scientific infrastructure. Policy makers are responsible for crafting guidelines that influence funding allocation, promote research excellence, enhance infrastructure, and encourage collaboration. In academia, the line between decision makers and policy makers often overlaps, with senior professors like Ramin Yahyapour leveraging their expertise to contribute to boards that shape policies.
Creators
provide the most important elements: research data and software. With their scientific and sometimes artistic outcome, they contribute to a wide range of available data and tools for others to work with, experiment with or to learn from. Ingo Börner for instance has built a database for his field, making digital literary analysis easier for both established scientists and students. Menare Royal Mabakeng, another creator, is working closely with people who obtain data in the field and making sure that it is collected in a way that makes it accessible to other researchers as soon as they need it.
