The annual Shared RDM project meeting took place at Graz University of Technology on September 23–24. The focus was on how universities can continue to collaborate sustainably even after the official end of the project.

The meeting kicked off with an exciting presentation on the EU project OSTrails, which deals with the DAMAP tool, among other things. Connections to Shared RDM also became clear during the presentation.

An important part of the meeting was the review: the results achieved so far were summarized, the successes highlighted, and the next steps for the coming project period outlined. Afterwards, the participants worked together in a moderated session on how the established structures and mechanisms can be continued beyond the end of the project.

To round off the event, we headed to southern Styria to visit a traditional wine tavern. Regional food and a relaxed atmosphere provided the perfect opportunity for personal exchanges. This showed that, in addition to professional successes, human connections also play a key role in the project.

The second day was dominated by breakout sessions. Here, concrete ideas for future collaboration were refined and the next steps clearly defined. The day was rounded off with an inspiring presentation on citizen science and its connection to research support services (such as Shared RDM) – an outlook on how research and society can be even more closely intertwined.