The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) has welcomed the decision by the Joint Science Conference (Gemeinsame Wissenschaftskonferenz – GWK) of the federal government and the states to launch the first set of follow-up funding in the second phase of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI). According to the GWK’s decision of 4 July, all nine subject-specific and methodological consortia selected under the first NFDI funding call in 2020 are to receive continued funding.

As Germany’s largest research funding organisation and central self-governing organisation for science and the humanities, the DFG particularly welcomes the fact that the GWK has fully followed the recommendations of the NFDI Expert Committee appointed by the DFG. This decision marks the start of the second NFDI funding phase, which will focus in particular on consolidating the consortia. The aim of the NFDI is to establish and further develop a comprehensive system of research data management that ensures the secure storage and broad accessibility of data relevant to research, thereby strengthening the German research system and its digital sovereignty. In three calls for proposals issued between 2020 and 2022, funding has been awarded to a total of 26 subject-specific and methodological consortia to date. These represent all four major scientific disciplines, along with one consortium for basic services across all NFDI consortia.

“The continued funding of all nine consortia from the first selection round is not just an impressive demonstration of the NFDI’s success,” said DFG President Professor Dr. Katja Becker. “It also marks a key step in establishing and developing a reliable long-term information infrastructure for research data in Germany – one that is internationally compatible. The vital importance of sound, science-based handling of data, also beyond academic research, is clearly demonstrated by ongoing developments in the field of artificial intelligence – which would not be possible without appropriate data foundations.”

Up until the expiry of the current joint agreement between the federal government and the federal states on the NFDI on 31 December 2028, the DFG sees it as crucial to work with all stakeholders to advance the consolidation of the NFDI consortia. This will help ensure that the services provided can be developed in line with users’ needs and operated on a long-term basis. Such steps are crucial in further embedding the NFDI within the research community and Germany’s broader research and infrastructure landscape, enhancing its role as a key hub for national and international collaboration, and supporting its continued development to best serve research, and science and the humanities.


Further information about the NFDI