Social sciences powerhouse
The Council of European Social Science Data Archives (CESSDA) is an umbrella organisation for social science data archives across Europe. Since the 1970s, its members have worked together to improve access to data for researchers and students. Its research and development projects as well as expert seminars enhance exchange of data and technologies among data organisations. The EU has identified a need to modernise and upgrade the council, a goal which is being realised through the CESSDA-PPP. This preparatory phase project aimed to transform CESSDA from an informally managed group of disparate data archives into a broader, more inclusive data infrastructure for social sciences and humanities. While the new organisation will not be a data archive itself, it will fulfil central tasks to build, develop and sustain a fully-functioning European data infrastructure. Data management, distribution and user support will continue to be undertaken nationally via a network of resource providers such as those of the existing CESSDA membership. The project identified known weaknesses in the existing organisation, addressing both internal issues relating to membership and external issues such as gaps in data collection currently available to researchers. To overcome these issues, the project undertook surveys and consulted experts to determine what improvements will allow existing CESSDA members to participate fully in the upgraded infrastructure. It also established direct contact with external organisations for their support. Meetings among the coordinator, national funders and representatives of non-CESSDA archives in eastern Europe and the Balkans determined these regions' interest in joining the infrastructure, also taking into account their existing national services and funding requirements. CESSDA-PPP introduced a number of important data producers to the enhanced infrastructure, including national statistical institutes, organisations such as the World Bank and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the EU's Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. A conference to address the lack of availability of European qualitative material also took place. Once all the information was collected, the project teams collated and analysed the results, summarising the current state of the CESSDA and prioritising activities needed to create a truly European data infrastructure. The team's reports outlined recommendations in a series of documents including conditions of membership, as well as business and financial plans, required for the next phase of the infrastructure's development. This initiative is expected to transform CESSDA into a much more solid archive platform with growing European influence and a more formal or legal status. Researchers, students and academic institutions stand to benefit greatly from this project.
