The Service Center for Medical Data Science is the central point of contact for Researchers on all questions relating to data, technologies or processes for data-based medical research. With specialized subject and methodological knowledge, we advise and support Researchers right from the planning stage of a research project. Furthermore, we are responsible for the establishment, operation and continuous development of the joint research data platform of the Medical School OWL and the University Medical Center OWL. The consulting services and data platform are closely oriented to the needs of research and teaching. Through supra-regional networking, we contribute to the visibility of medical research in Bielefeld and enable projects across several locations through suitable technical and semantic interfaces.
We will be happy to advise you on all questions related to medical research data. In particular, we support you in the following topics:
Structured Research Data Management enables you to plan, collect, process, document and store medical research data early and consistently. Our consulting services therefore start in the planning phase of a research project, e.g., with the selection of suitable data and tools. During the research projects, we support you in the time-saving and efficient handling of data resources. At the end of the project, we help you to archive your research data and results sustainably and securely and, if necessary, to make them accessible for further research in accordance with the FAIR principles.
A data management plan supports you in the optimal use of your research data and is now expected by many national and international research funders when submitting an application. Ideally, we create a data management plan with you during the planning phase of your projects. During the project, the data management plan is updated according to the progress of the project and serves to organize individual work steps in the research process with medical data. Especially for projects across multiple locations, the data management plan supports efficient project implementation.
Today, data-based medical research can draw on a wide variety of data from different contexts. In this context, the harnessing and use of existing and routinely collected data, e.g. from health care, is also becoming increasingly important. The Service Center for Medical Data Sciencersupports the use of aggregated or pseudonymized health care data in scientific research projects with its own data usage regulations and research data platform. We support Researchers in the search and selection of suitable data and in the data use application process. In addition to regional cooperation with the specialist clinics of the University Medical Center OWL, our concept also enables supraregional research projects, for example with other locations of the Medical Informatics Initiative.
Today, the collection, processing, analysis and management of medical research data are largely carried out with the aid of digital technologies. The range of technical support is as varied and diverse as the needs of individual research questions and projects. We support you in selecting the most suitable technologies and standards for your research projects right from the project planning stage.
In addition to the advisory services, the Service Centre offers regular training courses for researchers at the Medical School OWL and the UK OWL.
Unless otherwise indicated, all of our lectures are taught in German
Digital data is the basis of many scientific analyses. However, the manual structuring and input of research data is often complicated and error-prone. Structured data entry forms can provide support here. REDCap is a web-based tool that can be used to create such forms and manage studies. The workshop provides an overview of basic concepts and suitable functions for different types of studies. We start with registration in the system and the creation of a project and then learn about Data Editor, Data Dictionary, the administration of user rights and the export of data. Practical tutorials (in connection with lecture/seminar) will give you a feel for the tool and provide initial inspiration for your own studies. At the end of the workshop, you will know how to prepare forms in REDCap, be able to implement plausibility checks and verifications for entered data and have initial ideas for implementing your own studies.
Dates and times:
Careful handling of research data is an important part of good scientific practice and essential for high-quality research. Early planning of data management ensures the optimal handling of data generated during the research process. A data management plan (DMP) supports this planning and is required by many research sponsors. The DMP contains structured information on data collection, documentation, sharing, publication, archiving as well as copyright and data protection aspects.
In this workshop, we will work together to understand the structure of a DMP using the DFG checklist. In the hands-on part, you will work out a DMP draft for your research project. After the workshop, you will have the necessary knowledge to finalise this draft and then use it in your research project.
The target group for this workshop are researchers who are just starting or planning a research project (e.g. as part of the Clinician Scientist Programme or the Medical Research Start-up Fund). Participation opportunities for other interested parties are currently being examined. If there are more applications than places available, applications from employees of the Faculty of Medicine will be given priority when allocating places.
The event will take place online via Zoom.
The following preparations are necessary for participation:
1. Provision of an abstract of the research project for which you want to create a DMP.
2. Creation of an RDMO account.
Dates:
Bielefeld University and the Medical School OWL provide their members with various tools and services for handling medical research data. Within the framework of technology consulting, we will be happy to support you in selecting the appropriate technical implementation for your projects. For projects with medical research data, the following tools are in particular focus:
The Service Center for Medical Data Science is building a research data platform that can be used to collect, provide, and archive/store data for individual research projects from various sources. The focus here is on offering a needs-based IT infrastructure with connections to various systems. For example, aggregated or pseudonymized health care data from the clinics of the University Medical Center OWL are brought together for scientific research projects via the research data platform. The research data platform is also to be connected to the Core Facilities of the Medical School OWL, which are currently being established, and will provide even more extensive support for data-based research projects.
REDCap enables study management and study documentation based on study-specific forms. Collected data can be exported and processed in all common formats. As a supplement to the data platform, REDCap is particularly suitable for smaller studies with questions that do not require a data connection to the IT systems of clinical care. The Medical School OWL operates its own REDCap installation and provides project environments for research projects in it, so that the data remain securely on servers at the university. Use is free for members of the university, but a consultation is recommended at the start date of project planning to ensure that REDCap is the appropriate tool for your project.
RDMO supports the creation of data management plans using thematically tailored questions about the research project. Based on the information about a research project, various data management tasks are recorded in the data management plan. Members of Bielefeld University can use it free of charge with their BITS access data. Within the framework of a consultation, we will be happy to support you in compiling the relevant information in the RDMO mask as well as in the data management tasks derived from it.
The Service Center for Medical Data Science is involved in various research projects. Here you will find a selection of projects that are currently being supported:
KINBIOTICS uses medical research data provided in a structured way via the service center's data platform to develop AI-based decision support tools.
ProjektseiteThe consortia of the Medical Informatics Initiative (MII) and thus all university medical locations have agreed on a common core data set, which is based on international IT and terminology standards and is a central prerequisite for the shared use of data. The service center plans to participate in this project.
ProjektseiteThe service center supports the use of REDCap for data management in the research project MiPS of the AG 8 Cellular Neurophysiology.
The Service Center for Medical Data Science with various partners to support modern medical research.
BiCDaS | As a horizontal institution, the Bielefeld Center for Data Science (BiCDaS) develops Data Science at Bielefeld University and beyond. Together with partners at the university, BiCDaS develops interdisciplinary data potentials. | Webpage |
BITS | The Bielefeld IT Service Center is a central service provider with which we provide IT infrastructures in cooperation. | Webpage |
CeBiTec | Together with the Center for Biotechnology and the Faculty of Technology, we are working on solutions for supplying research projects with suitable IT infrastructures | Webpage |
Data Protection | Our direct partner on data protection topics is the Data Protection and Information Security Manager at the OWL Medical Faculty. | |
Ethics Committee | Ethics committees are responsible for ethics applications for research projects. Scientists of the medical faculty can apply either to the medical ethics committee Westfalen-Lippe (EK WL) or to the ethics committee of the University of Bielefeld (EUB). The likewise linked overview supports you in choosing the appropriate committee. | |
Competence Center for Research Data | The Competence Center for Research Data is a central service facility of Bielefeld University, and a cooperation partner of the Service Center Medical Data Science in providing general services (e.g., RDMO) and research data management topics. | Webpage |
Faculty of Technology | Together with the Center for Biotechnology and the Faculty of Technology, we are working on solutions for supplying research projects with suitable IT infrastructures | Webpage |
Statistical Consulting (AG 12) | Statistical Consulting provides advice and support to researchers in planning, conducting, and analyzing studies. | Webpage |
Scientific Data Services | The Scientific Data Services (SDS) unite data-related institutions, initiatives and projects of Bielefeld University, make data-related competences and services visible and activate synergy potentials. | Wepage |
University Medical Center OWL | We work closely with the cooperating hospitals to operate the data platform. |