National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI)
Development and promotion of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) through funded consortia for the systematic indexing, long-term preservation, and international networking of research data. Funding period for consortia is five years each, with three call rounds until 2028.
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Grant criteria
Funding objective
The NFDI aims to systematically index, sustainably secure, make accessible, and (inter)nationally network the data holdings of science and research. It is being established through science-led consortia to establish metadata standards, interoperable services, and FAIR-compliant data management across disciplines.
Eligible expenses
- Personnel expenses
- Material and operating expenses
- Expenditures for project-related contracts
Non-eligible expenses
- Capital expenditures (except in exceptional cases)
Eligible to apply
- Educational Institutions
- Public Institutions
- Non-profit Organizations
Funding requirements
- Consortium of public and state-recognized universities, non-university research institutions, departmental research institutions, academies, or other publicly funded infrastructure institutions
- Institutions must be non-profit and under German sponsorship or based in Germany
Documents required for application
- Project proposal (DFG form nfdi120)
- Data management plan
- Cooperation agreement
Evaluation criteria
- technical relevance and quality of the planned measures
- expected added value for interdisciplinary metadata standards and service offerings
- embedding of the consortium in the specialist community and involvement of relevant partners
- structural significance for NFDI and the scientific system
- efficiency and sustainability
- international connectivity
- concept for data use, access, findability, and reusability according to the FAIR principles
- appropriate operational model (if applicable, moderate usage fees)
Description
The National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) supports disciplines and methods in Germany in systematically accessing research data, securing it long-term, and networking it internationally. Funded are science-led consortia that establish FAIR-compliant data management over five years, develop interoperable services, and advance cross-disciplinary metadata standards. The German Research Foundation (DFG) conducts the evaluation of applications, while the Joint Science Conference (GWK) makes the final decisions based on the funding recommendations. Each consortium receives annual funds ranging from €2–5 million (100% funding rate) for personnel, material, and operational expenses as well as project-related contracts. Investment expenditures are only eligible for funding in exceptional cases.
Eligible to apply are non-profit associations of public and state-recognized universities, non-university research institutions, departmental research institutions, academies, or other publicly funded infrastructure institutions based in Germany. The basis for funding includes scientific relevance, added value for metadata standards, embedding in the research environment, efficiency, sustainability, international connectivity, as well as a coherent operational model aligned with the FAIR principles. Required documents include the project application (DFG form nfdi120), a data management concept, and a cooperation agreement. Funding is provided in up to three call rounds until 2028 and is divided into a program lump sum and direct project funds. This funding program creates a robust, networked infrastructure that sustainably improves access to digital data holdings of science and research, thereby promoting innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration in the long term.
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