Leibniz Association Welcomes Recommendations for the Long-Term Sustainability of the NFDI– Infrastructure Facilities Such as FIZ Karlsruhe Play a Key Role

Karlsruhe, May 19, 2026 — The Leibniz Association has expressly welcomed the recommendations of the German Science Council regarding the long-term sustainability of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI). In a statement issued at the end of April, it emphasized the central importance of sustainable, research-oriented infrastructures for high-performance data-driven research in Germany—and also highlighted the important role of FIZ Karlsruhe within the NFDI ecosystem.

The German Science Council had previously recommended securing the NFDI’s long-term institutional and financial stability and further developing its governance and coordination structures. It particularly emphasized the importance of interoperable basic services, long-term expertise, and reliable infrastructure facilities for sustainable research data management.

FIZ Karlsruhe contributes its expertise to numerous NFDI consortia and core services and supports researchers with sustainable information and data services throughout the entire research process. The mention of FIZ Karlsruhe in the Leibniz Association’s statement underscores the importance of long-term infrastructure, standardized data repositories, and FAIR-oriented services for Germany as a hub of scientific research.

“The Science Council’s recommendations send a strong signal regarding the future of the NFDI and for all institutions that contribute their expertise to the long-term development of reliable research data infrastructures,” says Andreas Schwartz, CEO of FIZ Karlsruhe. “Germany needs high-performance, interoperable, and sustainably funded data infrastructures that also contribute to our digital sovereignty. The infrastructure organizations, including FIZ Karlsruhe, are willing and ready to take on a special responsibility in this regard.”

FIZ Karlsruhe is currently involved in consortia such as NFDI4Chem, NFDI4Culture, MaRDI, NFDI4DataScience, and FAIRagro. This involvement is complemented by the RADAR research data service, which enables researchers to archive, publish, and ensure the long-term availability of their research data. The goal is to make research data more usable, accessible, and reusable across disciplines, thereby actively shaping the digital transformation of science.

The statement of the Leibniz Association is available here: 
Leibniz-Pressemitteilung zur Verstetigung der NFDI