Scientific Library Services and Information Systems (LIS)

As part of the Scientific Library Services and Information Systems programme the DFG funds projects at libraries, archives and other scientific service and information centres in Germany. The aim is to set up nationwide efficient research information systems.

Funding objectives in the group Scientific Library Services and Information Systems (LIS)

Establish efficient information services geared towards research and innovative information infrastructures at HEIs and non-HEI research institutions in Germany.

Objectives of the individual funding programmes:

Specialised Information Services
- Establish and expand specialised information services as efficient and demand-oriented nationwide information infrastructures serving research and academia
- Differentiated, subject-specific information services to supplement the services and information infrastructures available at local level

Digitisation and Indexing
- Digitise and/or index holdings and collections that are of nationwide importance to research
- Develop quality criteria for materials where established standards do not yet exist for digitisation and/or indexing
- Expand portals relating to specific materials and/or subject areas

Infrastructures for Scholarly Publishing
- Promote publication infrastructures
- Support is provided for the open access transformation through the establishment and development of suitable information structures and the (further) development of structural framework conditions

Open Access Publication Funding
- Subsidise the costs incurred by open access publishing
- Develop structures to enable transparent monitoring of costs throughout individual institutions and across different institutions
- Make the transition to funding responsibility for open access of publications that arise from DFG research funding

e-Research Technologies
- Establish and expand information infrastructures to support research that relies on digital information and data by means of web-based techniques and methods:
  - for the application-oriented research and development of e-Research technologies;
  - for the implementation of e-Research technologies;
  - for the consolidation and optimisation of existing e-Research technologies.

Information Infrastructures for Research Data
- Develop/refine structures for improved handling of research data and research data repositories
- Develop concepts for research data management (models for discipline-specific forms of organisation, incentive mechanisms and publication options for research data)

Eligibility Requirements

Research service institutions (e.g. libraries, archives, museums), research institutes and researchers of all disciplines at German research institutions. Prerequisite: Generally only publicly funded institutions

Proposal Requirements

Nationwide importance in terms of the provision of research information in Germany

Type and Extent of Funding

Funding for staff, funds for scientific instrumentation, travel, workshops, other

Funding Duration

Project-specific

Duration until Decision

Approx. 6 months

Forms and Guidelines

Interner LinkOverview of forms and guidelines

Funding Opportunities

Funding opportunities offered by the Scientific Library Services and Information Systems Division are divided into programmes and calls for proposals.

Funding programmes are designed for the long term; as a rule, proposals may be submitted at any time and are not subject to deadlines. On the other hand, calls for proposals have a set time limit, and submissions are also requested by specific deadlines.