Knowledge Graphs (KGs) are data management technologies consisting of terminologies (vocabularies and ontologies) along with interconnected data entities, based on semantic web standards like RDF and SPARQL. KGs are powerful tools for the application of the FAIR data principles in and across research domains, thereby supporting the mission of the National Research Data Infrastructure NFDI in Germany. The NFDI Association includes subject-specific consortia, responsible for delivering research data resources and services to their respective communities. Additionally, the Base4NFDI consortium provides services deemed to be broadly applicable to all domains.

The Knowledge Graph Infrastructure (KGI4NFDI) is a basic service part of the Base4NFDI program. It provides guidance, documentation and software for creating and reusing KGs, alongside a registry of all KGs in use by NFDI consortia. This integrated approach seeks to enhance data integration and foster standardized ontological practices. It supports the FAIRification of data across disciplines and complements international KG initiatives, such as those promoted by the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).

KGI4NFDI is aimed at the entire NFDI research community, including researchers, consortia, and institutions.

KGI4NFDI seeks to:

• Support Interdisciplinary Research: Build tools and resources that connect data across disciplines to enable new discoveries.
• Simplify Knowledge Graph Use: Provide clear guidelines, training, and open tools to help researchers effectively get started using and exploring knowledge graphs.
• Advance Open Science: Promote openness by adhering to the FAIR principles and using open standards and technologies to make data reusable across diverse contexts.

KGI4NFDI delivers:

• Service Hub: A central registry, itself a KG, for accessing, searching, and querying the knowledge graphs used by NFDI consortia.
• Community Support: Tailored consulting, comprehensive documentation, and shared best practices for knowledge graph development and use.
• Interoperability: Strategies to harmonize data standards, ensuring compatibility across disciplines and integration with global initiatives like the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).

All resources are freely accessible, designed to lower barriers to participation, and built with input from the research community.

KGI4NFDI is delivered by a consortium of research organizations and experts committed to advancing open science and FAIR data, including:

• ZB MED – Information Centre for Life Sciences
• TIB – Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology
• GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
• Mannheim University Library
• FIZ Karlsruhe – Leibniz Institute for Information Infrastructure
• ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics

These institutions collaborate with researchers, data stewards, and technologists to ensure the service reflects the needs and values of the research community.

KGI4NFDI relies on the active contributions and feedback of the entire research community. There are meaningful ways for everyone to get involved:

• Bug reports and features requests for the service hub can be submitted directly via issues to the relevant GitHub repository.
• Case study ideas for cross-disciplinary data queries are always welcome and can be featured as examples on the Registy and the Showcases pages.
• Feedback on guidelines or requests for support can be raised during the Consultation hour or submitted in writing to our contact address.

Contact Us

For inquiries, collaboration opportunities, or support, email us at kgi4nfdi@lists.nfdi.de.