No Data Without Context: The Role of Research Information in Enabling Sustainable RDM Practices

Research data without context is difficult to find, interpret, and reuse. While many infrastructures focus on storing and publishing data, research information—structured metadata about projects, people, organizations, and research activities—is often underrepresented. We argue that Research Information Management Systems (RIMS) are essential components of effective institutional research data management (RDM), especially in multidisciplinary and dynamic research environments. In this contribution, we present OSIRIS, an open-source research information system, licensed under MIT and designed to capture and manage rich, structured research information across diverse institutions. Built on a flexible MongoDB backend, OSIRIS enables the modeling of heterogeneous research processes without enforcing rigid data schemas. It supports institution-specific metadata structures, user-friendly interfaces, and advanced filtering and reporting options. We demonstrate how OSIRIS supports RDM through: • Comprehensive metadata management for projects, research outputs (publications, workshops, software, data), and contributors; • Customizable workflows for managing project lifecycles and research activities; • Extensive reporting and statistics modules that enable institutions to monitor, analyze, and communicate research outcomes; • Offering machine-readable exports and APIs to enable interoperability with other systems. Institutional researchers are incentivized to engage with OSIRIS through a variety of integrated features designed to add value to their daily research activities. OSIRIS offers game-like achievements and a virtual coin system that rewards users for completing key tasks such as entering research activities or updating project information. Researchers can easily export a structured and up-to-date CV based on their recorded activities, maintain a clear overview of their personal research portfolio, and track project outcomes over time. Based on practical examples from life science and social science institutions, we argue that managing research information alongside research data significantly enhances the visibility, accessibility, and reusability of data. This submission aims to foster discussion around the role of flexible, metadata-centric systems in future RDM infrastructures.