The project, which will initially run for three years, will combine research, learning and networking locations via data-based case studies and educational programmes. The eight project partners will create educational resources for the confident use of digital data, methods and tools - for researchers at all career levels. The objective is to anchor a living digital data culture in everyday research. At the same time, QUADRIGA will create meeting places for society, politics and administration to collect, process, use and analyse digital data.

The Data Competence Centre unites the four disciplines of digital humanities, administrative science, computer science and information science along the data types text, table and moving image at the Berlin-Brandenburg science location.

The Digital Public Services business unit of Fraunhofer FOKUS contributes its expertise in dealing with open data and skills development to the project. Together with project partners, the scientists develop four case-related “Open Educational Resources” (OERs) on standards, methods and tools for the data type table in administrative science. One of the case studies, which serves as the basis for the OERs, deals with open data in urban areas. Fraunhofer FOKUS collaborates closely with the National E-Government Competence Centre (NEGZ) in the development of the case studies in the field of administrative sciences.

This new availability of very large amounts of data requires extensive expertise on the part of the researchers: This concerns ensuring data quality and data management issues as well as dealing with data infrastructures, open data portals and data tools and methods. In addition, digital data science methods in the various disciplines, such as the humanities or administrative sciences, still vary greatly in terms of how they are developed.

In order for researchers to learn how to use digital methods in their everyday scientific work, application-oriented educational programmes are needed - as well as open access to tools, infrastructure and learning resources. In addition, spaces are needed that promote the exchange and networking of researchers with one another, as well as use cases that provide an insight into the skilful and secure handling of digital data.

Case studies are used to address specific issues at the research centres. In turn, data sets, standards and methods will be transformed into digital educational programmes at the learning locations. Assessment tools connect research and learning locations on the basis of an optimised data competence framework and enable researchers to assign their data competences along the data flow. The project managers want to bundle the educational programmes on the QUADRIGA Space data skills platform using a dedicated search tool.