The lifecycle is the spine of the whole VRC. Six phases (after NFDI4Microbiota / the DECIDE site), each with the concrete VRC tool to use, the action to take, and the data zone you are operating in. The zone tells you which rules apply: Green Room (personal, no FAIR requirements) → Shared (group, metadata + access control) → Published (world, DOI + licence). Two gates sit between them: G1 (Green Room → Shared) and G2 (Shared → Published).
| Phase | What you do | VRC tool / action | Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Plan | Write the DMP, choose the metadata model, scaffold the project | RDMO (JMU) or DataPLAN → DMP into docs/DMP/; run init_vrc_project.sh to create the standard folder |
Green Room |
| 2. Collect | Acquire data, document it in real time | Instrument → data/raw/ (lock read-only, checksum); record in Labfolder within 48 h; same subject_id everywhere |
Green Room |
| 3. Process & Analyze | Convert raw → primary → processed; run analysis | Conversion scripts in src/ (open formats); JupyterHub on HPC Julia/Bioinformatics; code in VRC GitLab |
Gate G1 → Shared |
| 4. Preserve | Store, back up, and archive long-term | cRDM Nextcloud group folder (nightly backup to RZ); RZ Archive Server for 10-year retention; open formats only | Shared |
| 5. Share / Publish | Release data findably and citably with the right access level | Gate G2: DOI via WueData/Zenodo/domain repo; declare licence; controlled-access (EGA / NFDI4Health) for sensitive | Gate G2 → Published |
| 6. Reuse | Make it the next project’s input | Persistent links + searchable metadata; published dataset becomes Phase-1 input for follow-up work (e.g. atlas / network analyses) | Published |
Gate G1 — leaving the Green Room (Collect/Process → Shared)
Before data enters a Nextcloud group folder:
- Metadata template applied (
data/metadata/). - Pseudonymise/anonymise if patient-derived (see GDPR SOP) — patient-identifying data does not enter the cRDM VRC.
- Correct group folder + access policy chosen.
- DMP reference confirmed; raw locked read-only.
Gate G2 — publishing (Shared → Published)
Before release:
- Full FAIR metadata; DOI assigned (repository, not a Nextcloud link).
- Licence declared; README complete.
- Ethics + DPO clearance confirmed where applicable.
- DMP updated one last time.
Worked VRC example (microscopy PhD, CRC 1525)
Acquire on the confocal → files in HPC home (Green Room). Decide the session is real → fill the imaging metadata template, upload to the consortium Nextcloud group folder, record in Labfolder (Gate G1 → Shared). Convert .czi→OME-TIFF in src/, analyse on JupyterHub, version in GitLab (Process). Paper accepted → deposit images to IDR, code to Zenodo with a DOI, reference both (Gate G2 → Published).
Related: SOP — FAIR RDM · Checklist before sharing/publishing in Nextcloud · GDPR & sensitive data SOP.