German research foundation DFG calls for enhanced safeguarding of research data

An ad-hoc working group of the Senate of the German Research Foundation (DFG) presented a paper calling for the improved protection of research data infrastructures on 31/03/2026.

The paper, titled “Recommendations on the Resilience of Research Data Infrastructures”, notes that scientific data is no longer just a secondary product but a vital strategic resource for research, innovation and knowledge sovereignty across nearly all academic disciplines. Because of this, the DFG emphasises that protecting the infrastructures that process and disseminate this data should be a high priority.

The DFG outlines recommendations to enhance resilience against growing threats like cyberattacks, institutional crises, ideologically motivated funding decisions and geopolitical tensions that may lead to the manipulation of data, massive data loss and loss of access to data. They urge policymakers and scientific communities to collaborate on implementing safeguards on research data infrastructures for academic sovereignty and innovation.

Access to data a "key prerequisite for freedom of research"