Establishing Sustainable and Functional Research Data Management (RDM) in Neuroscience: The RETAIN Fellowship Program

Establishing effective research data management (RDM) in diverse, collaborative research environments is challenging, especially in neuroscience. Despite initiatives like the creation of German nation consortia to enhance discipline-specific RDM, creating reusable, well-annotated, FAIR-compliant data remains difficult due to complex research methodologies and incompatible datasets often arising from the same research environment. Researchers often lack the resources and time to address these obstacles. While external expertise can help, it may lead to unsustainable dependencies. The best solutions for overcoming RDM challenges come from within research teams. Recognizing this, the NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence launched the Research Data Management Implementation in the Neurosciences (RETAIN) Fellowships, offering 24-month, 50% FTE positions to PhD-level Neuroscience researchers interested in RDM. Fellows develop personalized RDM strategies by assessing current practices, identifying obstacles, and setting goals. They receive guidance from NeuroCure’s Coordinator for Value and Open Science and report progress regularly. Training on RDM fundamentals is also provided. A crucial aspect of RETAIN is the integration of RDM solutions into the research environment. Fellows create workflows, educational materials, onboarding processes, and templates tailored to their team's needs, ensuring a sustainable RDM system. The program aims to produce model laboratories that can serve as RDM model environments for others, both within and outside the NeuroCure cluster. Successful completion of the RETAIN fellowship equips researchers with practical RDM skills, making them competitive for data stewardship roles. All tools, code, and materials developed produced from the fellowship are published openly, contributing to broader RDM efforts. Ultimately, programs like RETAIN are vital for building a FAIR data landscape in the neuroscience and beyond, by developing both the infrastructure and expertise needed for discipline-specific, sustainable RDM.