Consortium for the Social, Behavioural, Educational, and Economic Sciences (KonsortSWD)

The <strong>social, behavioural, educational, and economic sciences</strong> offer indispensable perspectives and responses to the <strong>grand societal challenges </strong>the world is facing today. In addressing these challenges, the disciplines represented in KonsortSWD work with a range of <strong>different data types</strong>. These data are typically <strong>sensitive</strong> due to legal or ethical constraints and they are frequently generated for non-scientific purposes. KonsortSWD aims to support the <strong>research data management (RDM) needs of its communities</strong>, which increasingly collaborate in multi- and interdisciplinary research projects. The (co-)applicant institutions bring their long-standing experience in operating community-driven research data infrastructures to the NFDI. Our mission is to develop – strengthen, widen, deepen – a research data infrastructure for the study of human society. This effort is to be <strong>primarily user-driven </strong>and <strong>addresses the needs of our research communities</strong>. The core of KonsortSWD’s RDM strategy is to provide researchers and research data centres (RDCs) with the <strong>tools and services</strong> they need for managing and sharing (new) <strong>sensitive and non-sensitive</strong> data in compliance with the FAIR principles. This includes supporting <strong>sustainable RDM</strong> in all phases of the research data lifecycle and securing <strong>data accessibility</strong> with an awareness of ethical and legal aspects. KonsortSWD will increase efficiency in RDM processes by coordinating · data producers with technical expertise to simplify <strong>sustainable RDM throughout the data lifecycle</strong>, · a growing infrastructure of currently <strong>34 accredited RDCs</strong> with 3,940 datasets, 46,000 data users, and a staff of 285 full time-equivalents (in 2018), · the <strong>German Data Forum (RatSWD)</strong>, where data users and producers jointly facilitate access to research data, · a forum for <strong>ethical reflection</strong> to support researchers and their institutions and to discuss and disseminate <strong>standards </strong>for data-driven, high quality research on human subjects up to entire societies. KonsortSWD combines a multi-stakeholder approach with transparent governance: a <strong>Steering Committee</strong> is in charge of operations, an <strong>Advisory Board</strong> with elected community representatives provides strategic feedback, and a <strong>Consortial Conference</strong> helps to disseminate KonsortSWD’s services and to collect feedback. The Task Areas (TAs) focus on: (1) Community Participation. (2) Data Access, (3) Data Production, (4) Research (Data) Ethics, and (5) Technical Solutions.