The second edition of the Conference on Research Data Infrastructure (CoRDI) brought together national and international experts in Aachen from August 26 to 28, 2025. The venue was the C.A.R.L. lecture hall center at RWTH Aachen University. The event offered a diverse program of keynotes, presentations, poster sessions, and a “market of opportunities” – all united under the guiding principle of generating more knowledge through the effective use of research data.

Shared RDM Services & Infrastructure opened a sub-session with a presentation on the Framework Conditions for Shared Services in Austria. This met with great interest and showed how shared infrastructures and harmonized approaches can strengthen research data management (RDM) across institutions and disciplines. A complementary poster also illustrated how Shared RDM lays the foundation for a national ecosystem of shared services, taking into account organizational, technical, and political requirements. The analysis emphasized the importance of common standards, sustainable financing models, and clear governance structures to ensure the accessibility and interoperability of research data. These ideas sparked a lively debate on how Austria's experiences could enrich cross-border cooperation in Europe.

CoRDI 2025 covered a wide range of topics – from RDM education to engineering, life sciences, humanities and social sciences, natural sciences, RDM infrastructures, and the societal impact of research data management. A panel on digital sovereignty also provided current insights into the growing importance of control and independence in data infrastructures. Outside of the scientific program, participants took part in evening activities, including themed tours of the WZL machine tool laboratory, where robotics, automation technologies, and next-generation product development were presented in a practical setting.

CoRDI 2025 once again proved to be a valuable platform for exchange and collaboration. For Shared RDM, it was an opportunity to contribute Austrian perspectives and contribute to the ongoing discussion on how research data infrastructures can best support science and society.