The Base4NFDI Development Framework: Growing Interoperable RDM Basic Services Across Domains
TL;DR
This report provides an overview on the service development framework in general and a first comparison across services to share early insights from two central support mechanisms: requirement analyses and incubator projects as a format for embedding services into real-world disciplinary workflows during the Integration phase.
Abstract
Base4NFDI provides a structured development framework for basic services within Germany's National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI). It meets the challenge of building interoperable, reusable services across 26 discipline-specific consortia without mandating top-down adoption. The framework guides services through three phases: Initialisation, Integration, and Ramp-Up. Each phase comes with distinct goals and support mechanisms. With services at various stages of maturity across all three phases, a growing body of practical experience is emerging. This report provides an overview on the service development framework in general and a first comparison across services to share early insights from two central support mechanisms: requirement analyses as a means of grounding service design in evidence during the Initialisation phase, and incubator projects as a format for embedding services into real-world disciplinary workflows during the Integration phase.