Start of the 9th appointment period: RatSWD elects new Chair

With its constituent meeting on September 17 and 18, 2026, the German Data Forum (RatSWD) started its 9th appointment period (2026–2029). The 20 members of the RatSWD were appointed by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) on 1 July 2026. The meeting was opened by Dr. Katharina Pijnenburg from the BMFTR, who is a guest member of the RatSWD. The meeting took place at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin). 

The RatSWD elected Dr. Daniel Vorgrimler as chair. As in the previous two appointment periods, he represents the Federal Statistical Office as a data-producing agency. 

“I would like to express my sincere thanks to the members for their trust. We want to use the next three years of our appointment period to further strengthen the research data infrastructure and constructively support the implementation of the Research Data Act,” said the new Chair following his election. 

The constituent meeting also marks the start of the work planning for the 9th appointment period. In its role as an advisory body to the federal government, the RatSWD’s ongoing tasks include advising legislative processes and further improving data access and the research data infrastructure. In addition, the RatSWD has identified enhanced data linkability, the resilience of data, and the modernization of the data infrastructure – along with other topics – as key areas that will shape its work over the next three years. 

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The German Data Forum (RatSWD) has been advising the German federal government and the governments of the German states on questions of research data infrastructure for the empirical social, behavioural and economic sciences since 2004.

The RatSWD is part of KonsortSWD – NFDI4Society, the consortium for the social, behavioral, educational, and economic sciences within the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI). It connects the scientific community and data-producing institutions to create a reliable infrastructure for accessing high-quality research data, thus strengthening empirical research as the basis for evidence-based policy.