Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Current Research information systems (CRIS) comprise integrated documentation and reporting systems that map the performance and equipment of research institutions, facilitate the reporting and management of research institutions, and increase the transparency of research and communication between researchers and the public, according to the  Research Information Systems Working Group of the  German Initiative for Network Information.

The FIS of Osnabrück University (UOS) serves as a central platform for presenting and publicizing the diverse research activities of our academics. It not only fulfills the reporting obligations within the framework of the  Lower Saxony guidelines on transparency in research - with a focus on externally funded research - but also enables a targeted search for experts at the UOS. This search function is not only aimed at the press and potential practice partners, but also at university members/students and the general public.

Since the successful completion of the "VIVO@UOS" project in December 2021, the FIS has been in regular operation after a five-year project period. The system was made available to the public in May 2020 and has been continuously developed in terms of content and functionality ever since.

As a central "showcase", the FIS makes the diverse research and transfer activities of Osnabrück University visible to the public.

Research information is broadly understood to mean information about research activities, including metadata about projects, publications, Doctorates, patents and people, etc. This is to be distinguished from research data.

This is to be distinguished from the term research data. This is generated during the research process and is published in the form of measured values, images, tables or documents in specialized repositories - at Osnabrück University, for example, in the publicly accessible  research database "osna Data".

The Lower Saxony guidelines on transparency in research were published in a joint position paper by the Lower Saxony Conference of Higher Education Institutions (LHK) and the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK) on February 15, 2015. These guidelines serve as a guideline for research institutions to promote and ensure transparency in research.  Detailed information

The FIS is operated and further developed in close cooperation between Centralized Reporting (ZBW) and the Computer Centre of Osnabrück University.  Contact persons

There are several possible reasons why a project is not listed in the FIS:

• Osnabrück University's FIS currently focuses on externally funded projects and does not yet contain data on projects that are/were financed by special funds or own funds.
• The externally funded projects will be listed from 2015 onwards. Projects that were completed before this date are therefore not recorded in the FIS.
• The project data is currently still updated annually, usually in May/June. As a result, projects that have already been approved and have a later start date will only appear in the FIS with a time delay.

If you discover any incorrect or missing information, please report it directly by e-mail to  fis@uni-osnabrueck.de.

The FIS content is based on data from the following operational systems/sources:

• Persons (SAP HR)
• Organizational units (SAP HR)
• Profile pictures (image database)
• Research focus (Stud.IP/enquiry with researchers)
• Contact information/mail address (Stud.IP)
• Projects (SAP FI)
• Doctorates completed (examination statistics),
• Knowledge forum (Communication & Marketing Office)

Data/interfaces to the following content modules are planned:

• Research results (university bibliography of the university library; DSpace CRIS)
• Research data (osnaData)
• Completed Doctorates (Open Access; osnaScholar)
• Property rights (patents, trademarks, designs)
• Transfer activities (funded by the UOS  transfer pool )

In order to comply with university quality standards and legal copyright requirements and to achieve a uniform appearance in the FIS, we use official photos from the image database of the Communications and Marketing Office for the profile pages.

Please inform us of the desired changes by e-mail to  fis@uni-osnabrueck.de or update the information on research priorities in  Stud.IP. The changes will be automatically transferred from Stud.IP to FIS with the next system update.

You can find more information in the  FAQs from Administrative Service 3 - Finance.

The  KDSF is a standard for research information for the German science system. It serves as a voluntary set of rules for the harmonization and standardization of research reporting at universities and scientific institutions. In January 2016, the German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat) recommended the introduction of the standard for use in the German science system.

We look forward to your feedback and will be happy to answer your questions! Write to us at  fis@uni-osnabrueck.de.