2026-10-28 –, Naturalis 01
The Helmholtz Metadata Collaboration is developing a harmonized FAIR metadata space across the Helmholtz data ecosystem. A key element is the broad implementation of Persistent Identifiers (PIDs) such as ROR, ORCID, IGSN, PIDINST, DataCite DOI, and Crossref DOI to reduce metadata redundancy, improve interoperability, and support machine-actionability. However, PID adoption alone is insufficient. FAIR implementation also requires clear workflows for capturing PID metadata, defined responsibilities for PID registration and maintenance, and suitable tools and services integrated into the research data ecosystem. This presentation introduces the building blocks of our Road-to-FAIR strategy, including the overall vision and priority tasks for improving interoperability and reusability. In particular, we will reconsider traditional repository-centered approaches and demonstrate how a broader range of actors in research can contribute to PID-based research data management across Helmholtz Earth and Environment centres.
The Helmholtz Metadata Collaboration is tasked with implementing harmonized metadata concepts into the existing and planned Helmholtz data ecosystem. The overarching goal is to establish a well-structured, harmonized FAIR metadata space that enables seamless connection of information across distributed data infrastructures. Achieving this goal requires standardizing dataset descriptions with appropriate metadata and defining a single source of truth for much of the redundant metadata, from which different systems can draw. Persistent Identifiers (PIDs) in metadata enable the reuse of common information from shared sources, thus mitigating redundancy in datasets. The broad adoption of PID types enhances interoperability and supports machine-actionability. As part of our Road-to-FAIR strategy, we are developing concrete recommendations for metadata handling and implementation across the whole organization. In this capacity, we recommend broadly implementing ROR, ORCID, IGSN, PIDINST, DataCite DOI, and Crossref DOI into our data systems.
In practice, however, just demanding PID Implementation is not enough. To turn FAIR into reality, a number of decisions have to be made: 1. How do we establish workflows to record the PIDs and their metadata? 2. Who is responsible for the registration and maintenance of these PIDs? 3. What tools and services do we need to support workflows and people, and how do we connect these services? In other words: how do we build a suitable data ecosystem, supporting PIDs at all levels? And – why didn’t it work in the past?
In this presentation, I will briefly present the building blocks of our Road-to-FAIR strategy. They will include the overall vision and prioritized tasks to achieve interoperability, reusability, and ultimately machine actionability for our data products. I will show that the traditional approach of asking researchers to submit their data to repositories should be reconsidered. In fact, almost everyone working in research, whether it is scientists, technicians, librarians, or even administrative staff, has a role in research data management, which can be activated. I will further report on the activities we’ve started within Helmholtz to engage these people in assuming responsibility for PID registration and maintenance, and on how to integrate them into the overall research documentation process. I will show how we are modelling these workflows across our six Earth and Environment centres. I thus hope to provide inspiration or a blueprint for others in a similar situation to HMC, fostering cultural change in practical research data management through PIDs.
