Current discussions in the area of funding
Here, you will find a list of topics that are currently being discussed in the DFG’s Scientific Library Services and Information Systems (LIS) division, e.g. at meetings of the Committee on Scientific Library Services and Information Systems (AWBI).
The AWBI closed meeting from 7 – 9 November 2023 was entitled “Erfolgsfaktoren für das Gelingen kooperativ getragener Infrastrukturen” [Success factors for the success of cooperatively supported infrastructures]. The AWBI’s deliberations began with three keynote speeches on the current situation, on strategic objectives, and on the role and function of communities in the promotion of information infrastructures. This was followed by intense discussion in a World Café format of the topics “Refining the objectives”, “Observing success factors and obstacles” and “Analysing the players”. The results of the closed meeting will be documented in a strategy paper to be published at the end of 2024, after consultation in the DFG statutory bodies. The objective of the strategy paper is to show how the information infrastructure can become more efficient through targeted cooperation, the encouragement of reuse and ensuring compatibility. It also emerged that the clear and differentiated attribution of roles, actors, functions and institutions is becoming increasingly important in terms of promoting information infrastructures.
Proposals under the “Specialised Information Services” programme are reviewed and evaluated annually in two cohorts. Based on the results of the comparative evaluation of proposals submitted under this programme, the AWBI regularly addresses the aspects of cooperation and networking in the establishment of an overall SIS structure. Against this background, the AWBI discussed its own role in the process of developing an overall SIS structure.
As a result, the AWBI confirmed the chosen direction to establish a resilient overall SIS structure through autonomous organisation processes pursued by the SIS and the applicant institutions. The strategic objectives and elaboration of details of the overall structure are to be developed primarily by the stakeholders supporting the overall SIS structure. If necessary, these processes can continue to be supported by means of dialogue with the AWBI.
Further information:
- DFG form 12.106, only available in German [Criteria for evaluating the contribution of the individual specialised information service to the development of the overall structure)
- SIS community wik
The following are available to answer questions:
- Dr. Franziska Limbach
e-mail: franziska.limbach@dfg.d
phone 0228/885-2094 - Michael Kassube
e-mail: michael.kassube@dfg.d
phone 0228/885-2699
Digitisation and availability of objects which are (still) rights-protected
Originally, a two-stage process was planned to clarify unresolved questions in connection with the digitisation and indexing of objects which are (still) rights-protected. The content and organisation of a pilot phase was to be prepared by means of a coordination project. A call for proposals was issued for this purpose in December 2022. In the subsequent pilot phase, technical and organisational solutions for the digitisation and availability of rights-protected objects were to be developed.
In order to prepare a proposal for a coordination project, a consortium was formed under the leadership of Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (Berlin State Library) which included the University and State Library Darmstadt, Saxon State and University Library Dresden, the Göttingen State and University Library and the State Archives of Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart. In the course of preparing the proposal and the conceptual alignment processes, the consortium suggested to the AWBI that a coordination project should be dispensed with and that proposals should be invited directly for a pilot phase.
Based on the documents submitted by the consortium, the AWBI was in favour of the suggestion to invite proposals directly for a pilot phase. The call for proposals was published at the end of January 2024. Its objective is to find generic solutions and postpone specific issues for the time being. In addition to the pilot projects, a call for proposals has also been issued for a coordination project which will be responsible for the central management of the entire pilot phase and collating the results. From the AWBI’s point of view, cooperation between the coordination project and the individual pilot projects is a key factor for the success of the overall project.
Further information:
Questions are answered by:
- Ulrike Hintze
e-mail: ulrike.hintze@dfg.d
phone 0228/885-2399
Round table: “Future of the production and availability of full texts for the national bibliographic directories VD 16, 17 and 18”
The third phase of the “Coordinated Initiative for Optical Character Recognition Development (OCR)” is currently underway. In addition to developing so-called implementation packages, the objective of the initiative is to elaborate concepts for the stabilisation of OCR-D software and for the coordinated full-text transformation of the national bibliographical indexes of 16th, 17th and 18th century prints published in the German-speaking world (VD 16, VD 17, VD 18).
The AWBI previously suggested that the coordination processes required for the development of the two concepts be carried out at a roundtable discussion. This took place in August 2023. The finalised concepts are to be available by the end of the current funding period in the fourth quarter of 2024.
The following are available to answer questions:
- Ulrike Hintze
e-mail: ulrike.hintze@dfg.d
phone 0228/885-2399 - Dr. Philipp Meyer
e-mail: philipp.meyer@dfg.d
phone 0228/885-2767
In September 2023, a dialogue forum was held for those in receipt of funding under the Open Access Publication Funding programme; it was attended by 84 people from funded institutions as well as members of the AWBI. The forum served to take stock of the first phase of the funding programme and also to discuss key aspects of the second funding period and the current status of the open access transformation.
Further information:
The following are available to answer questions:
- Dr. Angela Holzer
e-mail: angela.holzer@dfg.d
phone 0228/885-2568 - Dr. Christina Hemme
e-mail: christina.hemme@dfg.d
phone 0228/885-2238
In October 2023, a DFG-funded roundtable discussion was held in Vienna on the topic of “State of the art/research/standardisation of thermographic digitisation of watermarks (here: in music manuscripts – with reference to image processing/pattern recognition and long-term archiving)”.
The objectives of the roundtable discussion were to promote networking among all established expert stakeholders, develop a requirements analysis from a user perspective, produce a white paper on the state of the art, and develop a proposal for the extensive standardisation of an end-to-end workflow. The planned white paper is due to be published in spring 2024.
Questions are answered by:
- Dr. Florian Mannseicher
e-mail: florian.mannseicher@dfg.d
phone 0228/885-2212
In August 2023, the NFDI Expert Committee published key points for the second funding period of the NFDI consortia. The focus in the second funding period will be on consolidating the 27 consortia in order to ensure ongoing operations while at the same time enabling needs-based further development. The proposal documents are due to be published in spring 2024. The supplementary data sheet has been published that is required for proposals in the second funding period and for the reports.
In addition, the first Conference on Research Data Infrastructure (CoRDI) organised by the NFDI Directorate at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) took place in September 2023 with 680 participants. The NFDI Expert Committee and the DFG Head Office participated in the programme with a number of contributions. Due to the excellent response, the next conference, planned for 2025, is to be organised on a larger scale.
Further information:
- NFDI Expert Committee: Key points for the second funding period of the NFDI consortia, August 2023 (in German only
- Supplementary data sheet for consortia of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) [02/24
The following are available to answer questions:
- Dr. Lina Wedrich
e-mail: lina.wedrich@dfg.d
phone 0228/885-2036 - Dr. Jan Rohden
e-mail: jan.rohden@dfg.d
phone 0228/885-2596
For fifteen years, the “Digital Information” initiative established by the Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany focused primarily on questions of access to information and data. In June 2023 the decision was taken to continue the previous Alliance initiative as an Alliance priority topic under the new title “Digitality in Science”. The objective is now to focus more closely on concrete digital research practice.
The main centre of attention will be open accessibility and digital sovereignty, which will be addressed through a more agile working structure. Six interest groups have been set up to date to discuss the topics of academic publishing, digital tools including artificial intelligence, digital infrastructures and services, education and training, reputation and regulatory framework conditions. In future, task forces are to be set up to develop concrete outcomes, such as the Alliance’s science policy positions. A first task force is currently working on the Research Data Act. A steering committee will continue to monitor all activities.
Questions are answered by:
- Dr. Johannes Fournier
e-mail: johannes.fournier@dfg.d
phone 0228/885-2418
The DFG has set itself the goal of playing a formative role in the digital turn in science and the humanities. This primarily relates to the following fields: subject-specific and interdisciplinary discourse, DFG statutory bodies and competences, and funding procedures and programmes. For the purpose of implementing and monitoring the measures, an internal DFG Head Office programme entitled “Digital Turn” was initiated in April 2022, and the Senate established an ad hoc working group on the digital turn in March 2023. The working group comprises eight members of the Senate as well as permanent guests from other DFG committees, including the AWBI.
At its meeting in November 2023, the working group addressed the topic of generative AI models and the extent to which the use of AI models, in particular large language models (LLMs), has or will have an impact on the research process and the expansion of knowledge. Against this background there was also discussion of potential consequences for the DFG’s funding activities. Key points touched on in the discussions included access to (commercial) AI models for science and the humanities, the relevance of education and training in dealing with AI models, and questions regarding the importance of creativity and innovation as key aspects of scientific work.
The following are available to answer questions:
- Dr. Matthias Katerbow
e-mail: matthias.katerbow@dfg.d
phone 0228/885-2358 - Dr. Philipp Meyer
e-mail: philipp.meyer@dfg.d
phone 0228/885-2767