Research Core Dataset and Research Information System

  © Stefan Hense

RWTH conducts research on current scientific issues and develops solutions to meet contemporary challenges. Our research increasingly focuses on interdisciplinary topics that the University's research staff works on across different disciplines and institutes. The University realizes large-scale interdisciplinary research projects with national and international partners via working groups and competence centers, thus strengthening scientific exchange. As a result, RWTH has a lasting and sustainable impact on Aachen as a hub of science and research. With the help of the Research Core Dataset and a Research Information System, the University's achievements are to be recorded and presented in a transparent and structured manner.

 

The Reporting Standard Research Core Dataset

Since 2016, the German Council of Science and Humanities has been recommending the introduction of the reporting standard Research Core Dataset, or KDSF for short, for the coherent documentation of research activities.

The KDSF covers the areas of employees, promotion of early-career researchers, external funding and finances, patents and spin-offs, publications, and research infrastructure. Aggregated core data is defined for these six areas, which a university institution should maintain in research-related reporting.

 

Research Information System

A research information system is an internal database in which research-related information from administration and science can be continuously brought together and transparently managed. Reports integrated into the system simplify and minimize the administrative and time-consuming process of creating a report. A research information system is a valuable tool, not just for the Central University Administration: academics have the opportunity to use the system to create overviews of their publications, projects, and patents, among other things.

The data available in the Research Information System can be integrated externally into the website of the University and the institutes. In this way, external stakeholders and interested parties can gain a comprehensive picture of the various different research activities of the University or individual researchers.

The Project at RWTH

The aim of the project at RWTH is to establish the Research Core Dataset as a reporting standard and to integrate a research information system at the University. First, the relevant data already available will be imported into the Research Information System and an external presentation will be established. In the medium term, the Research Information System will be expanded further and in line with demand.

The project is supported by the state initiative CRIS.NRW, which was launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia as part of their digitization endeavors. CRIS.NRW is based at Münster University and aims to advise university institutions on the implementation of the Core Dataset for Research and to support them in setting up a research information system. The software solution used by CRIS.NRW is HISinOne-RES, which is the only research information system to map the Research Core Dataset. This will be adapted to the needs of RWTH.