On 18 November 2025, everything at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf revolved around FAIR data. Under the motto ‘FAIR data, FAIR play: it's all a question of positioning,’ fdm.nrw in the morning and the FDMK of the HHU in the afternoon invited researchers from all over North Rhine-Westphalia to learn about research data management (RDM) in a practical way – from the basics to specific services offered by universities and the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI).

The day began with a state-wide online programme, which was simultaneously broadcast live on site in the lecture rooms of the University and State Library of Düsseldorf. In an exciting panel discussion, experts from the NFDI discussed how research data can be made FAIRer and what support researchers in North Rhine-Westphalia can use. Afterwards, light refreshments provided the perfect opportunity to exchange ideas and make contacts.

In the afternoon, the focus shifted to RDM at HHU: After a welcome and introductory lecture by Cord Wiljes, a lively panel discussion moderated by Prof. Dr. Stefanie Weidtkamp-Peters (NFDI4BioImage) followed. Among other things, the discussion highlighted that cooperative infrastructures such as Coscine or NFDI-wide services are essential for HHU and that the handling of research data should already be taught during studies.

The poster session with coffee and cake, where participants could present their own data management solutions/projects, was particularly well received. The practice-oriented format ‘Discovering research data management in a playful way’ was also great fun and showed that FAIR Play in science is not just a principle, but something that can be experienced.

The day made it clear once again: successful research data management begins with the right framework conditions – and those who commit to FAIR early on lay the foundation for sustainable, accessible and reusable research.