The Helmholtz Metadata Collaboration – Paving the road for a Helmholtz FAIR data space

The Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres set up the Helmholtz Metadata Collaboration (HMC) platform in 2019 to translate global metadata concepts into standardized formats and harmonize scientific practice for the Association. HMC has the mission to leverage visibility and reusability of data across the Helmholtz Association and beyond, and to turn FAIR data into reality. Our long-term goal is to create a sustainable, distributed, semantically enriched FAIR data space that spans across all 18 autonomous Helmholtz centers and the six Helmholtz research fields (Aeronautics, Space & Transport, Earth & Environment, Energy, Health, Information, and Matter). Our work in HMC is focussed on activities in three strategic areas: (1) Assessing and monitoring the state of FAIR data across Helmholtz, (2) Facilitating connectivity of Helmholtz research data and (3) Transforming (meta)data recommendations into implementations. With our activities we address our multiple stakeholders (e.g. scientific community producing data, data professionals, research data infrastructures, technicians and administration responsible for research infrastructure) to increase the coherence and connectivity of metadata in Helmholtz. Over the last years, we analyzed the state of research data management and data FAIRness within Helmholtz through surveys and FAIR metrics. Awareness was raised about the importance of metadata through outreach events, training and consulting. We developed the technical backbone necessary for connecting FAIR data in Helmholtz and establishing the Helmholtz FAIR data space. Together with our communities, we worked towards the implementation of aligned FAIR metadata practices and recommendations. In addition, we funded 28 community projects across Helmholtz to implement solutions for practical metadata challenges. Through our work in various panels and committees we are closely intertwined with national (e.g. NFDI) and international (e.g. EOSC, RDA) initiatives in research data management. In this lightning talk, we will present details of our approach, some results and lessons learnt on our road to a Helmholtz FAIR data space. By sharing our experiences, we engage in active discussions on (meta)data, relevant stakeholders and how to shape our path to a FAIR data ecosystem together.