Services
The Core Facility RDM provides guidance in every step of your research journey
Data Stewardship
Data stewardship refers to the coordinated and accountable oversight of research data across its entire lifecycle: from planning and collection to storage, sharing, and long-term preservation. In medicine, this task is particularly demanding due to ethical, legal, and privacy considerations, such as compliance with GDPR, patient consent, and ethics board requirements.
Effective data stewardship ensures that medical data are:
- FAIR: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.
- Secure: Protected against unauthorized access and misuse.
- Well-documented: Accompanied by metadata and context for interpretation.
- Ethically managed: Respecting patient rights and data protection laws
We support you in managing your research data responsibly and efficiently, in every step of the way.
Our data stewardship services include:
- Guidance on data management planning (DMPs)
- Advice on FAIR data principles and reuse strategies
- Support with secure and structured data collection
- Assistance in selecting data repositories and preparing data for publication
- Help with legal and ethical compliance (e.g., GDPR, consent)
- Technical reviews to ensure data quality and documentation
Whether you're starting a new project or preparing for publication, our core facility is here to help you turn your data into a sustainable and valuable research asset.
Support in writing grant applications
Our Core Facility offers support:
- Advice on integrating research data management and FAIR principles into your proposal
- Assistance with drafting or reviewing Data Management Plans (DMPs)
- Guidance on ethical and legal aspects, such as data protection and informed consent
- Help identifying suitable data repositories and licensing strategies for your research data and publications
- Feedback on funder-specific requirements (e.g., DFG, EU, etc.)
Data publication
Publishing research data is a vital part of transparent, reproducible science, especially in clinical and health-related fields.
Transparent handling of research data is increasingly expected across the scientific landscape, especially in medicine and health research. In Germany, while the legal obligation to register a study depends on its type and scope, registration is strongly recommended for most study designs. Many scientific journals and funding organizations now require or encourage the preregistration of studies and the sharing of research data to enhance reproducibility and accountability.
Beyond formal registration, researchers are encouraged to make their study designs, protocols, and datasets accessible through suitable repositories and documentation frameworks. This not only strengthens the credibility of scientific findings but also facilitates reuse, collaboration, and long-term impact. Tools such as preregistration platforms or registered reports support good research practice by helping researchers plan transparently and share results regardless of outcome.
In addition to national and international registries, institutional platforms like the UKB Study Registry at University Hospital Bonn or the Health Study Hub (HSH) maintained by NFDI4Health offer further opportunities to register clinical and epidemiological studies. The HSH uses standardized metadata and allows the upload of key documents such as study protocols. A layered visibility approach enables both open sharing and restricted access to research data where necessary.
While clinical trials are well-supported by these systems, foundational medical research and other non-interventional studies often require alternative platforms for registration and data dissemination. The Open Science Framework (OSF) offers preregistration for such projects, allowing researchers to upload study plans in advance and link them to published results. Similarly, registered reports, where journals review and provisionally accept a study protocol before data collection, promote adherence to sound scientific practices, including the publication of negative or null results. Together, these tools strengthen the integrity and transparency of the research process across disciplines.
Software Development Services
We design and build cross-platform applications that run seamlessly on mobile and desktop. Our team has years of hands-on experience with modern frameworks such as React Native, Flutter, and progressive web technologies, enabling us to deliver fast, reliable, and user-friendly solutions.
From intuitive frontends to secure and scalable backends, we cover the full development lifecycle. Whether you need a prototype or a production-ready platform, we ensure every solution is built on a solid technical foundation. We specialize in developing high-impact applications that not only showcase technological excellence but also deliver significant societal benefits. Through close collaboration with medical experts from the UKB (University Hospital Bonn) and various patient groups, we deliver solutions that meets the highest data protection standards while also demonstrably improving daily life for patients. A prime example from our portfolio is the development of a patient-led, app-based registry for children and adolescents with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (Alpha-1-KIDS), empowering patients to independently manage their health data and securely provide it for research purposes.
Our comprehensive services are tailored to each project's unique needs, ensuring that every application we develop is not only technically sound but also strategically aligned with its intended purpose and audience. We are dedicated to transforming innovative ideas into functional, impactful, and scalable software solutions.
We also possess deep expertise in the acquisition and processing of sensor data from a wide range of devices, including integrated smartphone sensors and various wearables. This capability allows us to develop applications that capture a rich stream of real-world data, enabling sophisticated health monitoring and research.
Transform Your Research: Data Collection, Dashboards, and Consulting
Our core facility offers REDCap, a simple and intuitive system designed to make data capture traceable, structured, and secure. This powerful tool is perfect for all research initiatives that do not fall under a regulated environment such as ICH-GCP, AMG, or MPG.
Our services go beyond simply providing the software. We offer comprehensive consulting services to help you design and build your REDCap databases from the ground up, ensuring they are perfectly tailored to your project's unique needs. We can assist you in structuring your data to be both logically sound and easily accessible.
To truly unlock the potential of your data, we specialize in creating comprehensive and insightful UI dashboards. These dashboards transform raw data into clear, easy-to-understand visualizations, giving you a powerful overview of your project's progress and key metrics. Furthermore, we can seamlessly integrate REDCap with your existing mobile applications, allowing you to collect data on the go and in real-time. This integration provides a unified and efficient workflow, bridging the gap between mobile data capture and secure, centralized storage. Our expertise ensures a smooth and effective process, from initial setup to full-scale deployment and analysis.