Research information is structured metadata about the research activities, actors and results of a research institution. It covers the following modules:

• Employees and Activities
• Projects and Third-party Funding
• Publications
• Patents and Spin-off Companies
• Prizes and Awards
• Research Infrastructure
• Doctorates and Habilitations

An institution's research information can serve various purposes:

• Information for researchers, sponsors, politicians and the public about research results and impact
• Basis for research evaluation and evidence-based science policy
• Overview, management, evaluation and further development of institutions' research portfolios

UPB's FIS currently includes the “Projects and third-party funding” module. New areas and functions are made available in semi-annual updates.

In the Employees and Activities module, information on researchers, such as their subject areas, research fields and commitments, as well as career paths, academic degrees and types of employment are recorded. In future, users will be able to edit their profile here in UPB's FIS.

Information on future, ongoing or completed projects, including their objectives, results, funding, persons involved and cooperation partners, is recorded in the 'Projects and third-party funding' module. All types of projects can be entered in UPB's FIS, even if they are not externally funded. Projects should...

... have a start and end date.
... include (internal/external) funding.
... have a project leader.

The following purposes can be assigned to projects:

• Research
• teaching
• Promotion of young scientists
• transfer
• Other purpose

In future, projects can be linked to publications and patents that arise from them.

Scientific and artistic works, such as articles, conference papers, books, exhibitions and other types of publications, are recorded in the Publications module. This information is provided with metadata on publication types, research fields, review procedures, access rights and other publication data. This field also includes metadata on conferences, journals and publication organs. Publications can be linked to authors and projects in the Research Information System (FIS).

In UPB's FIS, this module is currently being configured to the needs of the UPB in cooperation with the University Library and the FIS team and will be published in one of the upcoming updates.

Data on patents and spin-off companies provides important information about the innovative strength and knowledge transfer from science. Patents and spin-off companies will each have their own module in FIS.

The Patents module includes patents for which UPB is the applicant and (partial) owner. Data on applications, research fields, inventions and utilisation are recorded.

In the Spin-off Companies module, data on the spin-off companies is recorded, such as the date of the spin-off, the research fields and the internal university organisational units from which the spin-off emerged.

In the Prizes and Awards module, the university and the researchers themselves have the opportunity to highlight outstanding and excellent achievements. It contains metadata, such as prize money, awarding organisation, target groups, etc. for certain prizes (Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize, ERC grants, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, etc.) as well as information on prize recipients, the research field and, if applicable, the placement.

The Research Infrastruture module includes laboratories, equipment and other resources, such as literature collections, as well as information and communication infrastructures of the university itself, but also of the faculties and institutes that are available for research.

Data on usage, access rights, network operation and the resulting publications are recorded.

In the modules Doctorates and Habilitations, data records of the respective doctoral and habilitation procedures at the university can be recorded. The data includes the period, research fields, cooperation partners and organisational units involved as well as information on structured doctoral procedures at the university.

Timeline for the FIS@UPB project:

• 01/2016: The German Council of Science and Humanities recommends the Kerndatensatz Forschung (KDSF) for recording research information in Germany.
• 12/2017-06/2018: Current status survey at the UPB according to the motto "Fit for KDSF?" carried out by the state initiative CRIS.NRW
• 06/2022: Official start of the "FIS@UPB" project to introduce a research information system at UPB.
• 10/2022: The objectives document for FIS@UPB is published.
• 03/2023: UPB receives the first FIS test system, which can now be configured to UPB's needs.
• 03/2024: FIS beta test - All faculties are invited to test the FIS modules "Projects" and "Publications" for their needs in an initial beta test. The results are incorporated into the final configuration of the system.
• 02/2025: The "Projects" module goes live. It is now possible for users to create their projects in FIS and submit the corresponding third-party funding notification electronically.
   

The Core Data Set for Research (KDSF) is a standard for recording research information. The KDSF is therefore not a data set as such, but describes a uniform set of rules for the collection, processing and exchange of research information at universities, universities of applied sciences and non-university research institutions. The aims are to harmonise this information in the German scientific landscape, to simplify reporting for scientific institutions and to support the processing of research information.

The Research Information System at the UPB is based on the HISinOne RES software from HIS eG and is customised to the needs and requirements of the UPB. The FIS team is working together with the state initiative CRIS.NRW. Funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the state initiative CRIS.NRW supports universities in NRW in the implementation of the KDSF (Core Data Set for Research) and the associated implementation of a research information system. The state initiative is based at the University of Münster. CRIS.NRW supports and accompanies the FIS@UPB project by providing advice, a tried and tested methodology, technical and specialist support, as well as networking and training opportunities.

With the help of FIS, information on research activities is maintained, bundled and presented in a centralised system. This not only facilitates documentation activities and reporting, but also enables an improved presentation of research achievements and the expertise of researchers to the outside world. With the introduction of FIS, the UPB is therefore pursuing the following goals, among others:

1. Exploiting the potential of research information in favour of the strategic development of UPB as a research location
   1. FIS serves to provide an overview and management of UPB's research portfolio and is thus the central source of information for the strategic development of research at UPB.
   2. The bundling of research information in FIS thus enables improved research planning and planning of larger projects.
   3. Documentation of research fields and cooperation partners supports networking between researchers.
2. External and internal research reporting
   1. FIS holds research information in accordance with the specifications of the KDSF and thus facilitates the implementation of the reporting obligation according to the KDSF, e.g. reports to federal and state ministries.
   2. FIS also provides extended research information that is customised to the needs of the UPB in terms of type and scope.
   3. It should be possible to create research reports in a standardised and automated manner according to criteria to be defined.
3. Improved visibility and consistent external presentation of research activities
   1. FIS will be the central database for the integration of research-relevant information (metadata) into the UPB website - both on central UPB websites and on the individual websites of researchers.
   2. The FIS enables an up-to-date external presentation of research activities and the linking of information (publications, projects, infrastructure, co-operations, etc.)

As a researcher, you benefit from a clear presentation of your research activities in a centralised location - both internally and externally. You can use FIS to search for and connect with other researchers in your field and export the information in common formats for use outside of FIS, e.g. to create publication lists. You can also submit paperless third-party funding notifications directly on the basis of the project in FIS.

As an employee of the central or decentralised administration, FIS offers you an up-to-date, standardised database in a central location. In future, it should be possible to generate research statistics and reports at the ‘touch of a button’.