International Engagement
The International Engagement section addresses internationalization as a key cross-cutting issue in science and as a strategic priority for NFDI since the association was founded. It coordinates NFDI's interaction with European and international communities and contributes to a coordinated approach to international activities. The section creates structures and working relationships to systematically involve relevant external actors and support cooperation within the NFDI. In addition, it acts as an interface for contextualizing European and international initiatives and promotes exchange between NFDI consortia, sections, and external partners in the international environment.
Mission
The section is committed to creating sustainable conditions for the effective European and international integration of the NFDI. To this end, structured overviews and decision-making bases are being developed to enable the consortia to strategically prioritize international activities and implement them in a targeted manner.
A key focus is on the successful establishment of a German national EOSC node (EOSC Node Germany) supported by the NFDI as a visible contribution to the European Open Science Cloud. In this context, the section supports the coordination of overarching framework conditions and promotes the active involvement of NFDI consortia in the further development of the EOSC federation.
In addition, it is a key concern of the section to systematically leverage experience gained from participation in European and international infrastructures. On this basis, transferable models and working approaches are to be developed that support the sustainable design of further international cooperation by the NFDI.
Working Groups
The working groups within the International Engagement section are derived from the tasks defined in the Section Concept.
| Working Group | Focus |
|---|---|
| Surveying the European and International Landscape | Mapping NFDI interactions with relevant international entities; operationalizing into an actionable workflow |
| Supporting the Development of EOSC Node Germany | Serving as NFDI point of contact for EOSC Node Germany; connecting NFDI services to the EOSC federation |
| Continuation of Internationalization and Outreach | Building a reusable framework from EOSC experience; supporting consortia in subsequent international engagements |
Section Concept
The section concept defines the goals, structure, and working programme of the International Engagement section.
- Title: Section Concept for establishing a section within the association German National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) — Section International Engagement
- Published: February 2026
- Authors: Charles Tapley Hoyt, Alexandra Büttner, Christian Busse, Andreas Haungs, Lukas Jansen, Rebecca Kröhler, Najla Rettberg, Nanette Rißler-Pipka, Ahmed Saleh, Christian Schäfer-Neth, Thomas Schörner, Hendrik Seitz-Moskaliuk, Ulrik Stervbo, Heiko Weber, Jos van Wezel, Wilma Wolf
- Download: zenodo.org/records/18459748
Mailing List and Registration
- Mailing list: section-int.lists.nfdi.de
- Registration for section participation: nfdi.de/registration-for-participation-in-the-sections