Call for Proposals

In most scientific projects, digital data are produced as the results of experiments, studies, surveys or source studies. These research data form the basis for scientific findings and for publications resulting from the projects; they also serve as evidence for the results achieved and are the basis for further research. Yet, many of these data are not suitably archived and maintained for later use. One of the reasons for this is that suitable information infrastructures and supporting services are often lacking for many scientific disciplines.

In order to improve the long-term preservation of research data, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) has now issued a call for proposals for projects aimed at developing and optimising information infrastructures that seek to achieve an efficient and sustained use of research data. This initiative is administered by the DFG’s Scientific Library Services and Information Systems (LIS) division.

Projects can be classified into two categories:

• Projects in the first category have the intention of developing or implementing strategies for future information infrastructures that support the back-up, storage and later use of research data in accordance with the requirements of specific disciplines.
• Projects in the second category are focused on further professionalising and expanding existing high-performance data repositories or scientific information infrastructures that are specialised in research data.

Project funding is offered to support scientific disciplines in identifying their needs and requirements for establishing or enhancing structures and data repositories. Representatives from scientific disciplines, in close cooperation with experts from infrastructure institutions, are called upon to develop strategies and solutions for nationwide structural measures.

Proposals must be submitted to the DFG’s Scientific Library Services and Information Systems Division by 28 April 2010.

Further Information

Details on eligibility, funding opportunities and conditions are available at: http://www.dfg.de/lis (“Aktuelles”; in German only)