Research Data Policy of the Cluster of Excellence Future Forests (EXC 3127)

Data are an essential product of research and are key to validate and reproduce scientific findings. Therefore, the Cluster of Excellence Future Forests is committed to promoting best practices regarding the handling of research data in accordance with the DFG's Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Research Practice and the University of Freiburg's Open Science Policy and Policy on the Handling of Research Data. The overall goal is to achieve Open Science by making research data FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), while recognizing that in some cases openness must be limited due to legal, ethical or contractual constraints, particularly when dealing with sensitive personal data. As a large multidisciplinary research consortium, Future Forests covers many scientific disciplines with different cultures of data generation, handling and sharing. The purpose of this research data policy is to define a common framework for research data management within the cluster, facilitate cooperation and achieve transparency both internally and externally.