Structure and Network

KonsortSWD is part of the NFDI. In the NFDI, valuable data from science and research are systematically accessed, networked and made usable in a sustainable and qualitative manner for the entire German science system.

About KonsortSWD

KonsortSWD is the Consortium for the Social, Behavioural, Educational, and Economic Sciences in the German National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI). Funded since October 2020, KonsortSWD’s goal is to facilitate and improve work with data from and for research. To this end, we are developing a range of services that address the needs of researchers and research data centres (RDC). KonsortSWD can build on two decades of experience of the RDC, which offer researchers access to sensitive – i.e. access-restricted – data in particular. The cooperation between the RDCs is coordinated by the Committee for Research Data Infrastructure (FDI Committee).
The connection to the different disciplines and research communities is provided by the German Data Forum (RatSWD), which is part of the consortium. KonsortSWD is part of a wide network, including 41 research data centres (as of December 2023).

KonsortSWD is divided into five task areas: Community Participation (mainly the responsibility of the RatSWD office), Data Access (including the FDI Committee), Data Production, Technical Solutions and the Secretariat. In the Task Areas, various services for researchers and research data centres are developed and offered within the framework of individual sub-projects – called Measures. Find more information on the services of KonsortSWD and RatSWD.