HMC @ NFDI TF Metadata Workshop

From June 25–27, 2025, the second NFDI Task Force Metadata Workshop was held at TIB – Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology in Hannover, welcoming over 50 participants from across all NFDI consortia. Organized by the Task Force Metadata, the event aimed to harmonize metadata practices across diverse disciplines and infrastructures within the German National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI).

Representatives from HMC – Helmholtz Metadata Collaboration actively contributed as co-organizers and participants, representing discipline-specific consortia such as NFDI4Earth and NFDI-MatWerk.

The workshop opened with a review of progress since the inaugural event and introduced a key objective: the development of a cross-consortial NFDI Core Metadata Profile. Central discussions revolved around three foundational metadata schemas: DataCite, DCAT-AP, and schema.org. In targeted working groups, participants analyzed these schemas to identify essential metadata elements and debated their classification as mandatory, recommended, or optional, ensuring relevance and usability across domains.

Domain-specific sessions addressed practical challenges such as the documentation of tabular data variables, semantic enrichment of metadata, and strategies for persistent identifiers (PIDs) for data, researchers, and instruments. A recurring theme was the importance of shared definitions, community consensus, and interoperable mappings between metadata standards.

The workshop concluded with a roadmap outlining next steps, including a draft version of an NFDI Metadata Standard and a proposed recommendation for aligning metadata with re3data registry entries. These outcomes are expected to enhance metadata interoperability, promote FAIR data principles, and provide strategic guidance for aligning HMC’s metadata frameworks with broader NFDI efforts.

More information and materials can be found on the official workshop website:
https://www.nfdi.de/2nd-nfdi-metadata-workshop