ZIH Info No. 199, July/August 2026
Table of contents
Editor: Jacqueline Papperitz
200 Issues of ZIH-Info and What’s Next
With this issue, ZIH-Info is published for the 200th—and final—time in its current format. Since 2006, the newsletter has provided updates on developments at the ZIH, including research and teaching, as well as new services, events, and other IT topics at TUD. What began as a concise overview of the ZIH’s core services and developments has evolved over the years to cover a broader range of topics.
With the founding of the CIDS, the ZIH is now part of a larger network of research and service units; moreover, the research activities of CIDS extend far beyond the topics previously covered by the ZIH. The TUD intranet also now offers new possibilities for IT Service communication. the topics previously covered by ZIH-Info will therefore be communicated through different channels, that are more closely tailored to specific information needs, in the future.
While IT Service news will be published in the future via the IT News section of the TUD intranet—where users can subscribe to specific types of updates—information on current outages and maintenance will continue to be posted in the Operational Status section; additional information will also be made available via the self-service portal in the future.
Starting in October, there will be an English-language newsletter for CIDS research that will bring together scientific activities and developments from the CIDS departments, thereby offering a comprehensive overview of CIDS research. Current subscribers to ZIH-Info will initially be added to the new mailing list. With the first issue, subscribers will have the option to unsubscribe. (Contact: Jacqueline Papperitz)
Circulars: Acknowledgment Goes Digital
Starting in October 2026, the formal acknowledgment of circulars at TUD will be fully digitized. In the future, employees will receive a target-group-specific email containing a link to the document in the document management system and will be able to confirm their acknowledgment digitally. This confirmation will be stored in the SAP ERP system in compliance with data protection regulations. The status of acknowledgments can be checked via an SAP Fiori report; the report is also accessible on mobile devices. Reminders for pending acknowledgments are sent automatically via email. Managers receive consolidated information on cases that have been open for an extended period. This eliminates the need for the previous signature lists. Further information and points of contact: https://intranet.tu-dresden.de/x/LoLtGg and https://intranet.tu-dresden.de/x/RwBNFQ. (Contact: , Tel.: HA -40000)
Reviced Forms for Software Procurement
Two separate forms are now available for the internal procurement and external purchase of software. This provides a clearer distinction between the two use cases. The “Order – Software Procurement” form continues to be used for procuring software from the internal software catalog. If the desired software is not available there, the “Request – Procure Software (Self-Purchase)” form is now available. The revised request form collects relevant information about the software, its planned use, and the licensing model in a structured manner and, once approved, serves as the basis for further processing. For questions regarding available licenses and the respective processes at the various TUD institutes, please contact the decentralized administrators and IT Advisors. For appropriate software renewals, standing authorizations may be granted, so that no new application is required if the framework conditions remain unchanged. Further information: https://intranet.tu-dresden.de/x/uQT1EQ and https://intranet.tu-dresden.de/x/wAT1EQ. (Contact: , Tel.: HA -40000)
OWA Light Disabled
Microsoft permanently disabled OWA Light with the August 2026 security update. The obsolete component had already been disabled at the ZIH for security reasons. The standard Outlook Web App (OWA) remains available to TUD users as usual. If you have any questions, please contact the Service Desk. (Contact: , Tel.: HA -40000)
Federal-State Agreement for One NFDI
On July 10, the Joint Science Conference (GWK) approved the federal-state agreement on funding the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) for the period from 2029 to 2038. With an annual budget of approximately 98.7 million euros, the NFDI is to be further developed into a “OneNFDI.” These funds will be used, among other things, to operate needs-based services, develop common standards, and further network stakeholders in research data management. An innovation program administered by the DFG is intended to flexibly address and promote new developments. During a two-year transition phase, the current structure of 26 consortia—in seven of which the ZIH participates—will be streamlined into eight disciplinary divisions. In addition, plans are in place to intensify collaboration with state-level research data management (FDM) initiatives such as SaxFDM and the NHR centers. (Contact: Dr. Ralph Müller-Pfefferkorn)
Better Data, Better Research
Due to the steadily growing volume of digital research data, modern data management is increasingly becoming a prerequisite for innovative scientific research. The consortia of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) are therefore developing methods and infrastructures for FAIR data management and promoting a cultural shift toward the sustainable handling of research data. The second funding phase has now been approved for three NFDI consortia in which the ZIH is involved: as part of NFDI4Earth, the ZIH is developing data and knowledge services for Earth system sciences; in Text+, it is working on data-driven workflows for the humanities; and in NFDI4DataScience, the ZIH team is focusing on cloud- and HPC-based infrastructures for services in the data sciences. (Contact: Dr. Ralph Müller-Pfefferkorn)
Research Data Repositories in the NHR Network
The ZIH is participating in the newly approved SIF (Storage Integration and Federation for NFDI and AI Research) project, funded by the Strategy Fund of the NHR (National High-Performance Computing). The goal of this two-year project is to standardize the storage infrastructures of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) across the NHR centers and integrate them into the NFDI architecture in order to establish a shared storage landscape for data-intensive research. This should enable researchers to use data more efficiently across locations and, in the future, to better leverage computationally intensive AI and data-driven workflows. The project is coordinated by NHR4CES at RWTH Aachen University. In addition to the ZIH, other NHR centers from across Germany are participating. (Contact: Dr. Matthias Lieber)
International Parallel Tools Workshop
The 17th International Parallel Tools Workshop will take place at the ZIH on October 1 and 2. Presentations will cover the latest developments in software tools for programming and optimizing parallel systems. Users from academia and industry will also have the opportunity to exchange ideas with developers about the application and use of the various tools, learn about their respective strengths, and discuss new developments. The workshop is organized in collaboration with the Stuttgart High-Performance Computing Center (HLRS). For more information and to register: https://tu-dresden.de/zih/tools_workshop_2026. (Contact: Dr. Hartmut Mix)
Events
- September 3–4, 2026, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.: Resilient AI: Securing Large Language Models (ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig, Strehlener Str.)
- Softphone consultation hour: September 7, 14, 21, and 28, 2026, each 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. (online)
- Open Q&A session for users of the NHR@TUD computing clusters: September 7, 14, 21, and 28, 2026, each 1:30–2:30 p.m. (online)
- September 30, 2026, 10:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.: Magic Mirror – On the Ambivalent Aesthetics of Digital Embodiments. (ScaDS.AI Living Lab, Andres-Pfitzman Building)