DFG Executive Committee Presents Position Paper on the Future of the NFDI

08/05/2026 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)

In view of the upcoming negotiations in the Joint Science Conference (Gemeinsame Wissenschaftskonferenz – GWK) on the future of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI), the Executive Committee of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is calling for the programme to be continuously developed in line with the needs of the research community. According to a position paper now published by the governing body of Germany’s largest research funding organisation and central self-governing organisation for science and the humanities, the NFDI must ensure networking between actors, disciplines and structures within Germany, while at the same time strengthening and embedding its European and international connectivity through its organisational structures.

“Based on the experience the DFG has gained in recent years from the science-led review and evaluation of proposals for NFDI consortia, we consider it essential that all reform processes are geared clearly towards the needs of the communities. The science-led and community-driven nature of the NFDI must be preserved,” said DFG President Professor Dr. Katja Becker on publication of the paper.

The DFG Executive Committee also calls for the establishment of a stable infrastructure: according to the position paper, adequate funding is crucial to the success of a future NFDI. Based on its own estimates, the DFG considers a total annual budget of at least €115 million to be necessary to ensure the transition to a permanent footing. This amount is said to be required to cover the costs of operating infrastructure and services, as well as further development and innovation. According to the paper, such investment is also necessary because strong growth in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), geopolitical tensions and significant dependencies on commercial actors mean that a data infrastructure is required that is resilient, enables data sovereignty and is ideally implemented at European level.

The basis for discussions in the GWK is the report on the structural evaluation of the NFDI published by the German Science and Humanities Council (Wissenschaftsrat, WR) in July 2025. In addition to ensuring the transition to a permanent footing, the German Science and Humanities Council also recommends establishing a more centralised governance structure. It further proposed promoting innovation and the further development of the NFDI by means of project-based funding under an innovation programme administered by the DFG.

Under a new agreement between the German federal government and the federal states from 2029 onwards, the outstanding legal issues (e.g. regarding the future legal structure of the NFDI) are to be carefully considered and clarified, particularly with regard to future financial administration and the allocation of funds: “For this reason, we consider the establishment of a competent transition team to be a matter of urgent necessity. Comprising representatives of all key stakeholders, this team is to clearly define the individual steps towards a new target structure, thereby paving the way for the concrete implementation of a needs-based operation of research-related services,” Becker said.

About the National Research Data Infrastructure

The National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) aims to systematically develop the data holdings of science and humanities, and research, ensuring they are sustainably secured, nationally and internationally networked, and made available to researchers. Based on a process driven by the research community, the NFDI was established as a networked structure of consortia acting on their own initiative.

Further Information

For the full text of the position paper see:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19728909

08/05/2026 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)

Regions: Europe, Germany

Keywords: Applied science, Policy - applied science, Science, Science Policy

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