The Committee for Research Data Infrastructure (FDI Committee)

The Committee for Research Data Infrastructure (FDI Committee) is a dynamic decentralized network of RatSWD accredited research data centres (RDCs).

About the FDI Committee

The FDI Committee coordinates cooperation among research data centres with the long-term aim of safeguarding and continuously improving the availability of research data in the social, behavioural, educational and economic sciences. It enables important reconciliation among each other, promotes the exchange of experience and knowledge, and conducts strategy development.

The FDI Committee is an autonomous, independent body within KonsortSWD. It works closely with the German Data Forum (RatSWD) and contributes its expertise in the practical implementation and provision of research data infrastructures also in corresponding recommendations to the German Data Forum (RatSWD).

In addition to the work in the FDI Committee, individual RDCs develop services for research data centres and researchers as part of KonsortSWD.

Cooperation between the FDI Committee and RatSWD

As part of the further development and optimisation of the research data infrastructure, there is close cooperation between the FDI Committee and the German Data Forum (RatSWD). This primarily concerns the accreditation of the RDCs, the annual monitoring of the RDCs and complaints management.

At the meetings of the FDI Committee and the German Data Forum, the chairpersons have reciprocal guest status.

Diagram showing the cooperation between the FDI Committee and the RatSWD — The cooperation between the FDI Committee and the RatSWD

Tasks, members and data centres

Permanent tasks of the FDI Committee

The committee’s main task is to safeguard and continuously improve the research data infrastructure, which includes increasing the quality and quantity of available data and facilitating data access for researchers.

Participants of the FDI Committee

The Committee for Research Data Infrastructure (FDI Committee) consists of representatives of the RatSWD-accredited RDCs, the two chairs of the German Data Forum (RatSWD) and permanent guests.

Working group effort and costs

The "effort and costs" working group deals with the effort and costs incurred in research data centers (RDCs) when curating research data for reuse.

All data centres

The 39 research data centres (RDCs) accredited by the German Data Forum (RatSWD) offer science and research flexible and comprehensive access to sensitive data.

Working group Accreditation and Participation Formats in the FDI Committee

The working group ‘Accreditation and Participation Formats in the FDI Committee’, jointly established by the RatSWD and the FDI Committee, focuses on the further development of the network and the exchange on topics related to research data
infrastructure, as well as on revising the accreditation criteria for research data centres.

Procedures for admission to the FDI Committee

Participation in the FDI Committee is possible via membership as an accredited research data center or via the status of a permanent guest.

Dr. Friederike Schlücker

KonsortSWD, Data Centres
Project Coordinator FDI Committee