A new, comprehensive position paper on the importance of data and digital science in the German-speaking scientific system has been published. The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, represented by the WiNoDa Lab, is a co-signatory of this important initiative from the data and digital science community.
It highlights the central role of data-intensive research and digital methods—from data analysis and AI to domain-specific expertise—for innovation in almost all disciplines.
The paper calls for the establishment of permanently anchored structures, including institutional data and digital science centers, broad-based skills development, and stronger links to national and European data infrastructures. Policy recommendations include reliable core funding for interdisciplinary research and the sustainable promotion of data and digital literacy.