From Numbers to Norms: A Community Journey driving Cultural Change towards FAIR and collaborative Research Data Management – Insights and Evidence from FAIRagro

The National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) and its consortia are developing advanced infrastructures, services, and tools to support collaborative and FAIR-compliant research data management (RDM) across disciplines. Yet, a persistent gap remains between technical readiness and actual implementation in daily research practice. Addressing this gap requires cultural change—one that can only succeed if infrastructure developers, service providers, researchers, institutional leaders, and policymakers work together to make FAIR RDM possible, easy, normative, rewarding, and expected⁵. This challenge is equally evident in the agricultural research domain. As FAIRagro Community Advisory Board member Medha Devare (CGIAR) aptly stated: "Technical developments are straightforward; changing habits and culture is hard work." FAIRagro¹, the NFDI consortium for agrosystems research, addresses this challenge through a systemic, participatory strategy and a community-driven approach. From the beginning, FAIRagro integrated community-oriented measures such as Use Cases, the Data Steward Service Center (DSSC), training formats, and a Community Advisory Board. To build on this foundation, a dedicated Community Working Group was established to accompany the community journey, identify cultural barriers, and implement targeted measures to drive cultural change and fulfil our mission: from numbers to norms. This contribution presents three key measures developed within this framework and reflects on their impact: FAIRagro FAIRness and Openness Commitment3 is a voluntary declaration for individuals, projects, and institutions to express support for FAIR and Open Science principles. Adapted from NFDI4Earth4, the commitment fosters visibility, transparency, and shared understanding of data culture. It is intended to encourage discussion within institutions, to raise awareness within working groups, and to promote a shared vision—laying essential groundwork for cultural change. FAIRagro Ambassador Network is a communication network of FAIRagro staff and principal investigators from partner institutions. Ambassadors act as institutional insiders, filtering and tailoring FAIRagro information, amplifying key messages, and serving as local contacts for RDM-related questions. Their trusted roles foster proximity and engagement, enabling awareness and practical implementation of FAIR practices within research environments. FAIRagro Associated Partner Status is a flexible instrument to engage external institutions, initiatives, and projects in structured collaboration – without the burden of full project membership. It supports participation in training, standardization, and RDM consultation activities, while encouraging shared ownership, broadening the network, and aligning services with community needs. These measures reduce barriers, build trust, and enable co-creation. They act as qualitative indicators of cultural change - shifting the focus from metrics to collaboration, advocacy, and the integration of FAIR practices into daily research practice. FAIRagro's experience shows: cultural change becomes possible when we come together, stay together, and work together – across sectors and roles as well as disciplines and institutions. Or, as Carole Goble emphasized at the EOSC Symposium 2024 in Berlin: "FAIR is a team sport!"2.