About us
The business sector continuously collects data and works with methods and standards that are of great interest to several scientific disciplines within the NFDI. Conversely, the scientific community also has data and methodological expertise that is important to the business sector.The Industry Engagement section therefore deals with the overarching design of cooperation between industry and the NFDI consortia, basic services, and other sections. This includes, among other things, the creation of a joint exchange platform between business and science, the identification and concretization of cross-cutting problem areas, possibly already an initial joint development of solution spaces, and the standardization and simplification of forms of cooperation within the NFDI. Parallel to the involvement of business in the section’s work, a continuous exchange with existing sections within the NFDI is also being established.
Goals
- Establishment of continuous, open, and trusting exchange between NFDI and economic actors
- Identification and processing of jointly prioritized issues
Standardization of communication and framework conditions for economic cooperation - Establishment of an industrial advisory board as a platform for exchange in order to credibly incorporate the interests and perspectives of both sides—science (NFDI) and industry—and effectively promote cooperation.
- Overcoming existing barriers to data availability and creating added value for society through greater transparency in cooperation between science (A2B) and industry (B2A).
Involvement of other stakeholders such as professional associations, specialist societies, industry, etc.
Working Groups
Schalter (ausgeblendet)
Schalter, damit darauffolgendes Element ausklappbar ist.
Benefits, costs, and risks in research collaborations
The working group serves as a bridge for sustainable networking between science and industry. It develops approaches to promote cooperation between science and industry, with a focus on data use and data sharing. The aim is to analyze the needs of both sides, validate practical examples, and balance benefits and risks. Focus groups are used to develop concrete projects and scenarios, generalize them, and underpin them legally and contractually.
Contact person: Chris Eberl
Cooperation models and cooperation agreements
The working group analyzes forms of cooperation between industry and academic research, specifically within the framework of the NFDI, and develops a collection of industry-specific model contracts for research collaborations, taking into account important aspects such as data reuse. The exchange with industry partners serves to better understand their interests and to promote interaction through workshops and meetings. A stakeholder analysis supports networking, whereby synergies with other working groups are possible.
- White Paper: A Conceptualization of Research Data in the Context of Industry-Academia Collaborations. (2025)
- White Paper: Measuring the Value of (Research) Data. (2025)
- White Paper: Collaboration Models Between Industry and Academia. (2024)
Industrial advisory board
The Industry Advisory Board ensures that the perspectives and interests of industry are taken into account in the NFDI section, representing a broad spectrum of companies (e.g., DAX-listed corporations, SMEs, and start-ups) from various industrial sectors. The advisory board is as diverse as possible in terms of company size, industry affiliation, and industrial focus in order to ensure a broad perspective.
Contact persons: Florian Stahl, Chris Eberl, Andreas Förster
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Florian Stahl
(Universität Mannheim)
Deputy speaker: Dr. Andreas Förster
(DECHEMA Gesellschaft für Chemische Technik und Biotechnologie e.V.)