The German Science and Humanities Council (Wissenschaftsrat) has published its statement on RIDLOP. The statement is part of the national prioritization process for large research infrastructures and recommends the establishment of the planned infrastructure. It recognizes RIDLOP's high relevance for research, policy, and society in Germany and Europe. In particular, it highlights the combination of curated data, infrastructure, and institutional expertise at GESIS and the pioneering role in implementing data access under the Digital Services Act. In addition, the Wissenschaftsrat sees the potential to shape research with online platform data through standards for metadata, curation, and data quality. The evaluation was conducted by an expert working group on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), including a site visit at GESIS in April 2026. On this basis, the BMFTR will now decide on the funding of RIDLOP.
→ GESIS press release (in German)
→ Wissenschaftsrat
