Open Data

Open Science in Action: Open research data for powerful research

Would you like to make your research data accessible to others? Does your funding agency require open science and, in particular, open data—and are you wondering what that means for your project in concrete terms?

Open research data is a key foundation for transparency, reproducibility, and scientific progress. It strengthens trust in research and enables new forms of collaboration. Our Research Data Services (RDS) team supports you—from planning and selecting suitable repositories to the secure and sustainable publication of your data.

Open Science at RUB

The UNESCO defines Open Science as a global shift towards scientific practices that are more inclusive, accessible, and trustworthy. The Ruhr University Bochum supports this—among other things, through its own Open Science Policy, which defines three areas of action:

Open Access - free access to scientific publications
Open Educational Resources (OER) - open teaching and learning materials
Open Research Data - the transparent publication and reuse of research data (e.g., measurement data, texts, software, code)

Open Data
What is open research data?

Open research data is data that forms the basis of scientific findings and is made publicly available for inspection, reuse, and further development. It forms the basis for the verifiability, reproducibility, and reuse of scientific work.

As open as possible, as closed as necessary.

Not all research data can be completely open—for example, for data protection reasons. That is why, like many funding agencies, we base our advice on the FAIR principles: Research data should be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable – regardless of whether they are openly accessible or only accessible to a limited extent.

Our Services for Open Data - Support in every phase of the project

The Research Data Services team supports RUB researchers every step of the way — from initial planning to publication and reuse of your data.

Consulting & project support

We provide individual advice on:

strategies for open data, including pre-registration, open code, and open software.
selecting suitable repositories (disciplinary, generic, institutional).
third-party funding and grant requirements

ReSeeD - RUB's research data repository

With ReSeeD, we provide you with an institutional repository for publishing research data securely, free of charge, and in a citable format (including DOI). .

Jointly networked for open science at the RUB

The working group Open Science vernetzt Expert:innen aus Infrastruktur und Verwaltung und entwickelt Open Science Strategien für die RUB weiter. Die Research Data Services sind aktives Mitglied und wirken u. a. mit an:

the annual Open Science Month Program 2025
in the further development of central services and policy processes