ORD Task Force Social Sciences and Humanities Data Report

The Swiss National Open Research Data Strategy Council (StraCo) mandated the Task Force for Social Sciences and Humanities (TF SSH) to analyze Cluster 2 within Switzerland’s Open Research Data (ORD) ecosystem. This report provides the analytical, factual foundation for a strategic push to improve coordination, sustainability, and alignment of SSH research data infrastructures (RDIs) as part of the Blueprint process.

Social Sciences and Humanities are critical to addressing societal challenges such as digital transformation, cultural preservation, and evidence-based policymaking. Despite considerable progress, SSH RDIs often face fragmented governance, short-term funding models, and data access and reuse barriers. This report aims to map existing SSH RDIs and services and identify gaps, redundancies, and opportunities for coordination.