Landscape Analysis of PID Practices in NFDI

This report is part of the deliverables produced by PID4NFDI, a core service for persistent identifiers developed within the German National Research Data Infrastructure (Nationale Forschungsdateninfrastruktur – NFDI). 

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The survey, titled "PID Service Landscape in the NFDI," was conducted during the initial funding phase of the PID4NFDI project in 2024. The main objective of PID4NFDI is to establish a foundational PID service for Germany's National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI).

PID4NFDI is a collaborative initiative led by DataCite, the Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Datenverarbeitung Göttingen (GWDG), the Helmholtz Open Science Office, and the Technische Informationsbibliothek (TIB), Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology. The consortium works closely with experienced PID infrastructure users, to leverage their insights and amplify the impact of PID adoption within NFDI workflows. For more information about the foundational work that paved the way for this project, please refer to the relevant publications .

Central to this initiative is the development of the PID Coordination Hub, a comprehensive solution designed to standardize PID practices, improve governance, and support alignment across different consortia and organizations. This integrated approach ensures greater consistency and adoption throughout the NFDI landscape.

The survey aimed to evaluate the current level of PID adoption and integration among NFDI consortia and to understand their future needs. By identifying these needs and pinpointing existing gaps, the PID4NFDI team seeks to develop a PID service that aligns with the evolving requirements of the NFDI community.

One of the primary challenges within NFDI is effective coordination among stakeholders. This requires fostering a shared understanding of each other’s initiatives to facilitate collaboration beyond organizational and consortium boundaries. Building awareness of PID4NFDI’s goals is crucial for the project's success. 

The project highlights the significance of PIDs and promotes their timely adoption to support FAIR data management.