bridgit for Researchers: Manage, Annotate, and Share Your Data
If you are a researcher at an academic institution, bridgit is designed to streamline your research data lifecycle, from initial dataset preparation to secure sharing with the scientific community. With bridgit, you can annotate datasets, maintain data management plans, upload projects and metadata, and connect your setup directly to trusted repositories such as Zenodo or OSF.
bridgit has already been successfully started its beta testing at the University of Münster, where it was seamlessly integrated into the Sciebo Hochschulcloud NRW. This integration allows researchers to manage their data securely without the need to migrate files between platforms, ensuring both compliance and efficiency.
In addition to core features, bridgit offers unique functionalities that are particularly valuable for academic research: the ability to assign granular metadata at both project and individual object levels, version control for datasets and allowing researchers to work on their project while maintaining clear documentation of changes. bridgit also supports data usage and sharing permissions, giving researchers full control over who can access their data, where it is accessible and also when they want to share it.
By combining these capabilities in one platform, bridgit empowers researchers at universities to save time, reduce administrative burden, and ensure that their data is secure, FAIR-compliant, and ready for long-term reuse and impact.
What are the prerequisites to use bridgit?
bridgit is designed to be easy to use, with no technical knowledge required. To get started, all you need is a Sciebo account (the university cloud service) that already contains your datasets. This is where bridgit will access your research data.
If you want to upload your projects to an external repository, such as Zenodo or OSF, you’ll also need an account with that specific service. bridgit acts as a bridge, securely transferring your data and metadata from your Sciebo cloud to the chosen repository.
Which repositories does bridgit connect with my cloud?
As of now, bridgit connects Zenodo and OSF (Open Science Framework) as external repositories where you can upload your projects to. However, we will greatly extend this list in the future. And if you miss support for a specific external service – feel free to contact us!
Why should I use repositories such as Zenodo or OSF to publish my research at all?
You should use Zenodo or OSF to publish your research because they connect your work to the broader scientific community. By uploading your projects through bridgit to these repositories, your data becomes findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable - in line with the FAIR principles. This allows other researchers to discover, cite, and build on your work, while you remain in control of when and how your data is published.
I’m currently using a different repository, what should I do?
No problem! bridgit is still in beta, and we are continuously working to connect more services to meet the needs of researchers like you. If you want to use a repository that isn’t available yet, simply send us an email at sciebo.rds@uni-muenster.de.
We take every request seriously and are doing everything we can to expand bridgit’s capabilities, so your feedback directly helps us improve the platform and make it fit the way researchers work.
I don’t want to upload my research data, will bridgit still be of use for me?
Yes! Even if you don’t plan to upload your research data, bridgit is still a powerful tool for preparing and annotating your datasets. By adding metadata and organizing your files within bridgit, you ensure that your datasets are well-structured, clearly described, and ready for use in the scientific community.
Proper annotation and metadata alignment are crucial for data sharing and turns your data into reusable datasets. Using bridgit to prepare your datasets helps you work in a consistent, unified way that matches the expectations of clean scientific work. This makes your data more understandable, easier to reuse, and fully compliant with best practices, even if you never actually publish it.