Infrastructure for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable (FAIR) Data

The INF-N project will foster the collaboration between CRC1315 projects by building an open infrastructure for the management of data (storage, documentation, processing, sharing and publication) and a theoretically grounded computational framework. To address the challenges of sharing large amounts of heterogeneous datasets within the consortium, we will implement tools for data management and scientific communication, provide training to the researchers, support researchers in their data management plan production and implementation, curate data during the research process, and foster the publication of research outputs other than classical journal contributions (datasets, software, reagents, and hardware). We are participating in several international consortia that are building data management solutions (in particular inside the NFDI neuroscience, INCF, EBRAINS) and we plan to employ established solutions in this CRC and to coordinate new developments with these international communities. This will allow us to produce (and publish) findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) data, and will promote a transparent and responsible research process.

Graphical abstract: The INF-N project will bridge CRC1315 researchers with the neuroscience research data management (RDM) communities, in order to foster the production of FAIR data (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). On the one hand, the CRC1315 will produce numerous heterogeneous datasets (left), obtained using different methods, hardware and software. On the other hand, different national and international RDM communities (right) have been building data format standards, metadata standards and tools aiming at facilitating data sharing and modeling. By providing training and direct support to CRC1315 researchers, the INF-N project will enable the self-directed organization of multiscale neuroscience data and models within a common frame of reference. The work is divided in four work packages. We will first help researchers design their data management plans, and then help them with implementation through the application of different information technology tools: SmartFigures, GIN, and the virtual research environment. We will support the publication of the produced data (datasets, software, hardware, materials), as well as monitor our performance and share our experience with RDM communities. The INF-N project will therefore foster the collaboration between CRC1315 projects and increase the capacity of the CRC1315 consortium to model human, rodent and fly brain function at an unprecedented level of sophistication.