“How do we want to do research?”

Wednesday, January 20, 2021, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

How do we want to do research in the future? How do we want to publish our research findings? How do we want to measure and assess our performance? These and many other questions are at the heart of the first Future Lab.

Organisation

Thematic groups

Thematic group 1

What do we want to research? 

The freedom of research and teaching is firmly enshrined in the Basic Law: the form, circumstances and subject can be freely chosen. Research is always conducted without prejudging the outcome and there are few external guidelines and standards. And yet: The freedom of science is not absolute and all-encompassing. This tension and issues pertaining to the responsibility of scientists are addressed in the context of research ethics:  What limits do we want to set for ourselves?  Who should decide how to set them? How should violations be punished? 

Moderators: Prof. Gerhard Rödel, Dr. Katrin Jordan

Thematic group 2

How do we want to do research? 

Scientists bear the responsibility for the quality of their research and strive to ensure that science remains trustworthy.  In July 2019, the DFG adopted the new "Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice", on the basis of which, TU Dresden updated its corresponding statutes at the end of 2020. How can quality assurance succeed in all phases of the research process?  How can training courses be designed in a conducive way? What is the right degree of (self-)responsibility?

Moderators: Prof. Christine Baier, Dr. Barbara Könczöl

Thematic group 3

How do we create FAIR research data?

The basis of any research activity is the generated and evaluated research data. Thanks to digitization, there are innovative possibilities for exchanging and re-using research data for future research as well as for archiving it. At the same time, the demands on scientists are also increasing:  Most research funding agencies expect applications to include a research data management concept that complies with the FAIR principles (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, Reusability). How can successful data management be implemented? How can I sustainably secure my data in the long term? What are the possible obstacles? What challenges do you see for researchers and for TUD as an institution? What type of support is needed? And: What can be expected from the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI)?

Moderators:  Prof. Lars Bernard, Dr. Ralph Müller-Pfefferkorn

Thematic group 4

How do we want to make our research results available? 

The Open Science Initiative not only aims to make scientific literature and research data freely accessible, but strives to establish transparency in the research process as early as possible.  The Open Science principle is now widely promoted, and sometimes even demanded. However, some scientists are uncertain, and some reject the principle altogether.  Can Open Science be mandated, and if so, on what basis?  Where are the limits? What does Open Science mean for individual researchers? How does Open Science challenge our self-perception as scientists? How can we clarify misunderstandings that cause the rejection of Open Science?

Moderators: Prof. Stefan Scherbaum, Dr. Julia Meyer, Dr. Denise Dörfel, Dr. Andreas  von der Dunk

Thematic group 5

How do we want to make our performance visible?

In order to improve the information on the numerous research activities at TU Dresden and to provide results real time, TUD has fundamentally renewed the Research Information System (FIS). The new FIS will go live in 2021. Which research information will be recorded, and which information shall be productively captured at a later date?  How should the introduction of the updated system be successfully flanked?  What added value will the new FIS offer scientists?  What input is needed from the researchers? What services and support can scientists expect when using the new FIS?

Moderators:  Prof. Friedrich Funke, Dr. Anita Sbalzarini

Thematic group 6

How do we want to evaluate our performance? 

The scientists at TU Dresden perform outstandingly not only in research and teaching but also with regard to the third mission. In order to promote the most promising scientists, various internal control instruments can be used. In the field of medicine, for example, the performance-oriented allocation of funds (LOM) is utilized for this purpose. 
How can performance-based funding be allocated fairly?  What are the right parameters for measuring and comparing scientific performance? How transparent should the evaluation process? Who should be tasked with evaluating it?

Moderators: Prof. Stefan Bornstein, Dr. Sacha Hanig  

The Future Labs 2021 are funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Free State of Saxony as part of the Excellence Strategy of the German Federal and State Governments.