The HMC Community is moving to Matrix

30.06.2026

We are transitioning our community chat from Mattermost to Matrix. The move follows the Helmholtz-wide shift towards Matrix as the new standard chat platform.

Our public Mattermost area HMC Public, currently used for HMC community exchange, will move to Matrix and become the new HMC Community Space. You can already join the new space now. Starting on 7 July 2026, HMC community communication will take place on Matrix.

Note for Project Call participants: The < project call - pitch your idea > channel related to the current Project Call will remain on Mattermost until the Project Call deadline on 6 July 2026.

Mattermost will be discontinued on 15 July 2026.

What you need to do

Please create or access your Matrix account, save your recovery key, join the HMC Community Space, and then join the recommended rooms listed below.

Before you move

Please note: It is technically not possible to transfer your Mattermost message history to Matrix. The content of the channels will be archived. If there are important conversations or files you want to keep yourself, make sure to save them from Mattermost before the service is discontinued on 15 July 2026.

Join our HMC Community Space on Matrix to start or continue exchanging with the community.

How to

Before you start: which account should you use?

Your Matrix ID depends on where you work. Please do not mix private accounts with institutional use.

  • KIT, CISPA, FZJ, GFZ members: you likely already have an institutional Matrix account. Please use that one and check your center’s IT information if needed.

  • DLR members: your center’s own Matrix server is still being set up. Please follow your internal DLR communications for the timeline.

  • All other Helmholtz members: create your account via the central HIFIS instance at matrix.helmholtz.cloud using your Helmholtz ID.

  • External partners and guests: you can use a public Matrix provider such as Academic Cloud Chat or matrix.org. Once you have an account, you can join the HMC Community Space via the provided link or ask your HMC contact for an invitation.

If you are new to Matrix

1. Create or access your account

  • Go to matrix.helmholtz.cloud and log in via your Helmholtz ID. You can also use the Element desktop or mobile app for Linux, Windows, Mac, iOS, or Android.

2. Save your recovery key immediately

  • This is the most important step. Matrix uses end-to-end encryption by default. If you lose your recovery key, nobody – not even HIFIS – can restore your encrypted chat history.

  • Right after your first login:

    • Click on your profile icon and go to All Settings → Encryption.

    • Generate and save your recovery key somewhere safe; a password manager is ideal.

    • Verify your session when prompted, either with the recovery key or from another open session.

3. Don’t log out; close the tab

  • Matrix keeps your session active as long as you do not explicitly log out. Just close the browser tab or app window when you are done. This helps ensure that you can continue to access encrypted messages.

  • If you regularly clear cookies or browser storage, make matrix.helmholtz.cloud an exception so your settings and key store are preserved between sessions.

4. Join the HMC Community Space

  • Once your account is set up and your recovery key is saved, join our HMC Community Space on Matrix: HMC Community Space

  • In Matrix, a Space works like an umbrella for several rooms. After joining the HMC Community Space, you can choose which rooms you would like to join. Please note that rooms are not joined automatically.

  • We recommend joining the following rooms:

    • HMC Community Exchange & Announcements
      For community discussions, relevant articles, publications, events, HMC-related updates, and announcements around metadata and related topics.

    • HMC Community Off Topic
      For informal conversations and networking beyond HMC- and metadata-related topics. Please keep the interests of the wider community in mind when posting.

    • Helmholtz Information & Data Science Forum
      For announcements relevant across all Helmholtz Information & Data Science platforms.

If you already have an existing Matrix account

Join the HMC Community Space on Matrix to start or continue exchanging with the community: HMC Community Space

After joining the space, please also join the rooms listed above, as Matrix does not add you to rooms automatically.

Questions?

For questions regarding Matrix, please contact HIFIS Support: support@hifis.net

For questions regarding the HMC Community Space or the transition from Mattermost to Matrix, please contact the HMC team: info@helmholtz-metadaten.de

Helpful resources

Thank you for helping us make the transition and for continuing to shape the HMC community with us. We look forward to seeing you on Matrix!

And many thanks to Helmholtz AI for their helpful overview article on the transition to Matrix and for allowing us to adapt parts of their information for the HMC community.