AACHEN — EOSC was featured prominently during the opening of the second Conference on Research Data Infrastructure (CoRDI), held at RWTH Aachen University in Germany on 26–28 August 2025. EOSC Association Secretary General Ute Gunsenheimer addressed participants, underlining the importance of the EOSC Federation in advancing research and open data practices across Europe.
Ute Gunsenheimer joined the welcome panel alongside key figures from the German research community and policy makers, including Minister Dorothee Bär from the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, who shared a video message with participants.
When delivering her contribution, Ute Gunsenheimer congratulated the NFDI consortia on the progress achieved since the inaugural CoRDI in 2023, highlighting the achievements of the past two years. She acknowledged the global challenges that have arisen during this period and emphasised how Europe is preparing to respond strategically to them. In this context, she referenced the so-called moonshot on data sovereignty proposed in the draft of the next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10).
She further welcomed the fact that NFDI is among the 13 candidate EOSC Nodes of the EOSC Federation, which will be presented publicly at the EOSC Symposium on 03-05 November. She concluded with a strong call for continued close collaboration, highlighting the timely opportunities to build a sustainable future for both EOSC and NFDI.
EOSC-A’s presence on the opening stage, next to the German ministry, underscored its significance as a vital element of European research policy and landscape. Representatives from the German Council for Scientific Information Infrastructures (RFII), the German Research Foundation (DFG), and the the event host – the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) of RWTZ Aachen University – also contributed to the opening discussion.
This year’s CoRDI, themed “More knowledge through better use of research data,” brought together experts and stakeholders to explore the societal value of data-driven science. The rich programme included keynotes, lectures, poster sessions, and a market of opportunities, creating a dynamic forum for collaboration and exchange.
The conference was jointly organised by the German National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI), the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) of RWTH Aachen University, and WZL Aachen, with support of the NFDI4ING consortium.
Photo source: WZl of RWTH Aachen University
