Training courses on RDM for researchers as a cross-location task - the RDM curriculum of the UA Ruhr

In order to manage research data adequately, researchers need to be familiar with the key measures, from data management plans and storage options to metadata allocation and data processing tools. Many scientific institutions have service centres offering consultation and training. These services must be structured and tailored to the needs of researchers from various disciplines and with different levels of knowledge. They should spark interest in RDM and offer real added value. The RDM curriculum of the University Alliance (UA) Ruhr is an innovative example in that it combines modular breadth and time flexibility with quality through cross-location cooperation. Each semester, staff from the RDM service centres at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB), TU Dortmund University and the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) offer basic and advanced courses as a mix of face-to-face and online sessions. Basic courses provide broad knowledge and networking opportunities across disciplines, while advanced courses focus on practical topics and tool training. Participants are awarded an RDM badge upon completion. In summer semester 2025, around 20 events will be offered, providing an attractive range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary training opportunities and making efficient use of resources and expertise. This presentation demonstrates how the curriculum, which was developed at UDE and first implemented in the winter semester of 2022/23, serves as a regional best practice example within the UA Ruhr. It highlights the advantages and challenges of cooperation and considers how the model could be expanded to include researchers beyond UA Ruhr.