CESSDA ERIC

Their core work

CESSDA ERIC (Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives) is a pan-European research infrastructure that provides unified access to social science data held by national data archives across Europe. They operate as a federated network — each member country maintains its own archive, while CESSDA coordinates standards, tools, and services that make these datasets discoverable and reusable across borders. Their core work involves building the technical and organizational backbone for FAIR social science data: cataloguing, metadata harmonization, training, and integration with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). As an ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Consortium), they hold a unique legal status that positions them as a permanent institution, not a temporary project.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015-2018), CESSDA focused on consolidating its own infrastructure (CESSDA-SaW), mapping the international RI landscape (RISCAPE), and exploring big data integration (BigDataEurope). The emphasis was on ESFRI roadmap positioning, international benchmarking, and building cross-national social science data services. From 2019 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward the EOSC ecosystem and open science implementation — with SSHOC, EOSC Enhance, EOSC Future, and TRIPLE all addressing how social science data integrates into Europe's open science cloud. The later period also introduced workforce development (RItrainPlus), signaling maturation from building infrastructure to sustaining and professionalizing it.

CESSDA is transitioning from infrastructure builder to EOSC service provider and RI management trainer — future partners should expect a focus on operational maturity, FAIR compliance services, and cross-disciplinary data federation.

How they like to work

CESSDA predominantly participates as a partner (11 of 13 projects) rather than leading, which reflects its role as a specialized infrastructure provider that contributes domain-specific data services to larger consortia. However, when it does coordinate — CESSDA-SaW and SSHOC, both ~€2M — these are substantial, strategically important projects for its own mission. With 227 unique partners across 31 countries, CESSDA operates as a hub organization with an exceptionally wide European network, making it a strong connector for any consortium needing social science data access or EOSC integration expertise.

CESSDA has collaborated with 227 unique partners across 31 countries, giving it one of the broadest networks among social science research infrastructures in Europe. Their reach spans nearly all EU member states and associated countries, with particularly strong ties to national data archives and ESFRI-listed infrastructures.

What sets them apart

CESSDA is the only ERIC dedicated to social science data archiving, giving it a monopoly-like position in its niche — there is no equivalent European-level competitor for federated access to survey data, opinion polls, and social research datasets. Their ERIC legal status means they are a permanent institution with guaranteed member-state funding, not a project-dependent entity that may disappear after grant cycles end. For consortium builders, CESSDA brings instant credibility with EU reviewers on any proposal involving social science data, FAIR principles, or EOSC integration.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SSHOC
  Coordinated by CESSDA with €2M funding, this flagship project built the Social Sciences & Humanities Open Cloud — directly shaping how SSH data integrates into EOSC.
• CESSDA-SaW
  CESSDA's own strengthening and widening project as coordinator (€2M), the foundational effort that expanded the consortium's reach across Europe.
• EOSC Future
  With nearly €1M in funding, this was CESSDA's largest participant contribution — embedding social science data services into the next generation of Europe's open science cloud.