FSD and CESSDA-Finland included in Finland’s national research infrastructure roadmap

FSD has been selected to feature in the National Roadmap for Research Infrastructures for the years 2021-2024. A total of 29 high-level research infrastructures were chosen. These infrastructures have been assessed as providing strategically significant research infrastructure services needed in the next 10–15 years in the Finnish research, development and innovation system.

As the national service provider for the European social science research infrastructure CESSDA, FSD provides data discovery and deposit services and curates and preserves digital research data collected primarily to study society, population, and cultural phenomena.

— Applying to be included in the roadmap was a joint effort of many FSD experts, so we are all happy and relieved of the outcome. This is the third National Roadmap and each time we have succeeded in including FSD and CESSDA, says Helena Laaksonen, Director of FSD.

Regarding future FIRI (Finnish Research Infrastructures) funding it has been outlined that most of the funding calls are open to the research infrastructures included in the roadmap.

— Research data archiving and related services are constantly evolving. Our experts need to develop their skills and ensure that our services are improved and stay relevant to researchers. Without infrastructure funding, development work and the accumulation of know-how would not possible. Being on the roadmap means that we can apply for new funding to provide even better services to the scholarly community. I am also pleased that four other social science and humanities research infrastructures where included in the roadmap, Laaksonen says.

The Finnish Research Infrastructure Committee (FIRI Committee) decided on the included infrastructures yesterday, 10 December 2020. The previous national roadmap was published in 2014.