History

In 2016, the German Council for Information Infrastructures (RfII) formulated the need for a coordinated research data infrastructure for Germany. The recommendation paper ‘Performance from Diversity’ can be regarded as the conceptual birth of NFDI.

The possible design of this infrastructure was analysed by the RfII in a series of further discussion papers, also taking into account international experience.

One of the most important results of this RfII analysis was that NFDI should be a science-driven initiative. The reason for this is that the requirements for information infrastructures, as well as the current state of research data management (RDM), differ greatly from one scientific discipline to another. The scientists are therefore the ones who can best express and assess their needs and requirements for an information infrastructure. The RfII therefore proposed the establishment of consortia in which scientists can join forces by discipline in order to create and maintain customised solutions for their scientific communities.

The RfII’s proposals met with broad approval in scientific circles. The Joint Science Conference (GWK) agreed on the establishment of NFDI with the adoption of the federal-state agreement on 26 November 2018, according to which the federal and state governments will provide up to 90 million euros per year for project funding in the period from 2019 to 2028. The federal and state governments will provide the funds in a 90:10 ratio.

On 3 May 2019, the GWK decided to locate the NFDI Directorate in Karlsruhe. The FIZ Karlsruhe – Leibniz-Institut für Informationsinfrastruktur and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) were entrusted with the tasks of the foundation phase. These included setting up the NFDI office and transferring NFDI into a separate legal entity.

On 12 October 2020, the NFDI association was founded in Hanover by the federal and state governments. As part of this, the association’s Executive Board – consisting of Prof Dr York Sure-Vetter and Eva Lübke (until January 2025) – was appointed.

Opening of the NFDI office on 15 October 2020 in Karlsruhe, from left to right: Sabine Brünger-Weilandt (FIZ Karlsruhe), Holger Hanselka (KIT), Eva Lübke (former NFDI Directorate), York Sure-Vetter (NFDI Directorate), Frank Mentrup (Lord Mayor of Karlsruhe). Photo: Cynthia Ruf/KIT

The first nine consortia were also launched in October 2020. The second funding round with ten consortia has been running since October 2021 and the third round with eight consortia (including Base4NFDI) since March 2023.