International audienceScientific communities acquire more and more data and the need for tracking and managing of data in a simple framework is essential for providing scientific results in a timely manner. In France, several laboratories have gained experience with iRODS (Rule-Oriented Data Management System) which acts as a data grid by providing a transparent access to data which can be spread over different physical locations on heterogeneous storage technologies. Five of these laboratories (CCIN2P3 in Villeurbanne, IPHC in Strasbourg, LPSC in Grenoble, MCIA and CBiB in Bordeaux) have joined their efforts by providing a single iRODS infrastructure in the framework of the French NGI. This system is intended for hosting users from any scientific domain in need of storage or data management, and with little experience or dedicated personnel in the domain of data management. In this contribution, an overview of the iRODS features is given, followed by the description of the national iRODS instance. The hosting of end users and the early adopter experience are also presented, as well as the development of the project towards building a national pool of expertise for the use and the administration of the iRODS product
