The DFG invites dialogue on the promotion and funding of scientific information infrastructures

One fundamental requirement for research in the era of the digital turn is the availability of a needs-based, nationally coordinated and continuously evolving system of information infrastructures. The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) supports the establishment and expansion of this system through a funding portfolio that is overseen by the Committee on Scientific Library Services and Information Systems (AWBI). The funding programmes encompass all stages of the research lifecycle, including information and literature searches, the analysis and evaluation of data and information, and the dissemination of research results in various forms.

In its discussion paper “Digital Research Practice and Cooperative Information Infrastructures”, the DFG analyses overarching challenges and identifies fields of action in the establishment and expansion of scientific information infrastructures and their long-term operation. The fields of action outlined in the paper relate to both the DFG’s funding activities and the overall system of scientific information infrastructures. Firstly, the interoperability of information infrastructures and digital objects is to be optimised. This primarily requires technical improvements, though organisational and social interoperability also need to be taken into account. Secondly, it is essential to continue to foster the cooperative operation of information infrastructures based on the appropriate incentives. Thirdly, the reusability of existing technologies must be promoted, and the operation of research-related information infrastructures must be secured in the long term.

The DFG believes that these fields of action can only be effectively addressed based on the sharing of roles and responsibilities among various stakeholders – including researchers, information infrastructure institutions, research funding organisations and research policy actors. For this reason, the DFG will initiate a systematic dialogue process to engage in discussion on overarching challenges and seek solutions on a collaborative basis. The objectives of this process are to further refine challenges and fields of action, fundamentally clarify roles and responsibilities, and broaden perspectives so as to be able to address new questions and solutions. As a starting point for this dialogue, the DFG presents “Five Theses on the Future of Information Infrastructure” in its paper, which draw on the challenges and fields of action set out in the discussion paper.

The DFG welcomes suggestions and ideas regarding the structuring and elaboration of this dialogue. For this purpose, please use the shared mailbox at Dialogprozess.Infrastruktur@dfg.de.

Further Information 

To the DFG discussion paper “Digital Research Practice and Cooperative Information Infrastructures”.