RatSWD Election

The German Data Forum (RatSWD) is a body that acts as an interface between data production, science, and politics. Its tasks include the strategic development of research data infrastructure in the empirical social, behavioural, and economic sciences and the representation of the interests of data users and data producers through scientific policy advice. The appointment period of the German Data Forum is three years and always begins on the 1st of July.

The RatSWD consists of twenty members: ten representatives from empirical research and ten representatives from important data-producing institutions. It has equal representation.

The representatives from empirical research are elected by the scientific community for each appointment period. The representatives from data production are not directly elected, but are appointed ex officio. All members of the RatSWD are formally appointed by the Federal Ministry responsible for research in agreement with the other federal ministries.

The entire appointment process, including the election, ensures that the RatSWD has broad legitimacy among the scientific community and data producers.

All scientists with a doctorate who work at state-recognised universities (see list of members of the German Rectors’ Conference) or at public, independent scientific research institutes in Germany are eligible to vote and stand for election. Nationality is irrelevant.

Non-university institutions and departmental research facilities are also considered relevant within the scope of Section 3 of the RatSWD Election Regulations, provided that their statutes guarantee independent scientific research.

The RatSWD election regulations stipulate that a completed doctorate is a prerequisite for voting eligibility. If you do not hold a doctoral degree, it is unfortunately not possible to register on the electoral register.

Unfortunately, persons working at foreign universities/institutions are not eligible to vote.

Please note that you must apply for inclusion in the electoral register by 16 February 2026. This also applies to candidates.

In the 2026 election, ten candidates from academia will be elected for the 9th appointment period of the RatSWD. These are researchers from the social sciences, behavioural sciences, educational sciences, and economics.

The specialist societies listed in Section 5 of the Election Regulations are entitled to submit nominations, proposing one suitable representative in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Appointment Act. In addition, at least ten researchers eligible to vote may support an independent nomination. In the case of an independent nomination, the names of the supporters will be published to ensure transparency.

Candidate nominations must be submitted to the Chair of the RatSWD by the 16th of February 2026 (contact: wahl@ratswd.de). The candidates will be presented on the RatSWD website on the 23rd of February 2026.

Voter registration opens in September 2025. Prior inclusion in the electoral register is a prerequisite for being able to vote later. All applications for entry in the electoral register will be examined individually with great care. The deadline for applying for inclusion in the electoral register is the 16th of February of 2026.

The deadline for nominating candidates is also the 16th of February of 2026.

The candidates for the scientific community will be published on the RatSWD website on the 23rd of February of 2026, and voting will take place from the 2nd of March to the 29th of March of 2026 (midnight) via an online system. Eligible voters registered in the electoral register will receive all important information and the call to vote in due time by email.

You should vote because your vote will influence the future composition and agenda of the German Data Forum (RatSWD) and thus contribute to the further development of the German research data infrastructure. In addition, you can help ensure that the legal and political framework conditions are designed in a way that is favourable to science.

With online voting, the RatSWD is responding to the needs of eligible voters who want to vote easily and regardless of their location. This simplifies the voting process, for example, for voters who are abroad.

To make the process robust and secure against manipulation, the latest IT security technology and external expertise in the field of online voting are being used. Data protection and voting secrecy are guaranteed.

The nominations are determined in two separate lists, one for each gender. Each voter has four votes: two for the list of female candidates and two for the list of male candidates (Section 7 (2) of the Election Regulations). Only one vote may be cast for each candidate.

Yes, you must re-register. Previous registrations no longer exist and have been deleted for data protection reasons. In addition, your eligibility to vote must be re-verified for each election, as it may change, for example, if you change your place of work.

If you would like to be automatically notified by email about the next RatSWD election, you can indicate this at the end of the form.