The evaluation report of the German Science and Humanities Council has intensified the struggle of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) to establish a future-proof governance. The current structures attempt to address existing tensions through various discussion and decision-making bodies. In the future, additional challenges will arise from funding streams from different sources, services with varying levels of maturity, and regulatory initiatives at both national and international levels. Central to this is the transition from project-based governance to sustainable and permanent platform governance. Since mid-2025, NFDIxCS has been conducting an accompanying analysis on this topic. Its goal is to highlight a configurative solution space from the diversity of existing approaches and perspectives, thereby supporting current developments. On January 15, 2026, the workshop “Governance of Data Platforms” will take place at the ECDF. The event is organized by NFDIxCS and Martin Gersch, spokesperson of the ECDF board.
Program:
09:30
Words of welcome
Presentation of the comparative framework
Presentation of the analyzed platforms
11:00
Coffee break
11:15
Work in small groups – discussion of the platforms and their governance approaches, as well as deriving insights for the NFDI
12:45
Lunch break
13:30
Consolidation of results – drafting governance models and coordinating next steps
15:00
Summary and farewell
Venue:
Einstein Center Digital Future
Conference Hall, 1st floor
Wilhelmstr. 67
10117 Berlin
The workshop is not open to the public and is only open to invited guests.