The German Data Forum contributes to improving access to high-quality and scientifically relevant data for research purposes. Since its foundation in 2004, it has been advising the Federal Government and the federal states governments on the further development of the research data infrastructure and is committed to creating a science-friendly legal and political framework.
The German Data Forum is an independent advisory board to the Federal Government. The council consists of ten empirical scientists and ten representatives of important public institutions for data collection in Germany.
As an institutionalised forum for dialogue between science and data production, the German Data Forum develops recommendations and statements and identifies viable solutions.
The German Data Forum supports the Research Data Centre (RDC) model, which provides science with comprehensive, flexible, and secure access to sensitive data. Since 2008, the German Data Forum has accredited research data centres on the basis of transparent criteria and regularly reviews the quality of the research data infrastructure.
The German Data Forum is part of the Consortium for the Social, Behavioural, Educational, and Economic Sciences (KonsortSWD – NFDI4Society) in the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI).
Target Group
- Empirical researchers in the social, behavioural, educational, and economic sciences
- Politics
- Research data centres / infrastructure
- Data production
Objectives
Improve access to high-quality data for scientific research particularly in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences as well as improving its international competitiveness.
Theme Focus
- Exchange and mediation between the interests of data producers and research data users, particularly in fields of social, behavioral, and economic sciences
- Initiating and establishing standards for the collection, storage, provision, and quality of research data
- Promoting the secondary use of research data
Activities
- Recommendations on further improving the data infrastructure
- Accrediting and evaluating research data centers
- Advising science and policy
- Monitoring legal and technological developments
- Conference for Social and Economic Data fostering scholarly and strategic debates
Funding Organizations
Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
