Good research needs a good data basis. As digitalisation proceeds, the amount of scientific research data is rising at an inflationary rate. For interdisciplinary research, these data are of outstanding value because they enable comparative evaluations and meta-analyses on a large scale in space and time. The responsible and transparent management of research data makes scientific results reproducible and is therefore an essential part of good scientific practice. ZMT is committed to making research data FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) and, whenever possible, openly accessible. Furthermore, research data should be collected, processed and published according to the CARE principles (collective benefit, authority to control, responsibility, ethics). When publishing research data, trustworthy data repositories should be chosen according to the TRUST principles (transparency, responsibility, user focus, sustainability, technology).

In 2015, ZMT therefore adopted an Open Data Policy, which is currently being revised by the Research Data Service at ZMT in view of the latest national and international developments in research data management.