DEUTSCHES ARCHAOLOGISCHES INSTITUT

Their core work

The German Archaeological Institute (DAI) is one of the world's leading archaeological research institutions, operating excavations, surveys, and material studies across Europe, the Near East, and Central Asia. It specializes in understanding ancient civilizations through interdisciplinary methods including paleogenetics, material analysis, and digital heritage documentation. DAI contributes significantly to European research infrastructure for heritage science and actively works on making archaeological and humanities data FAIR-compliant and openly accessible. As a federal research institute under the German Foreign Office, it also plays a role in cultural heritage protection and international scientific diplomacy.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

DAI's earliest H2020 involvement (2017) centered on the preparatory phase of the European heritage science infrastructure (E-RIHS PP), establishing foundational networks. From 2019 onward, their activity expanded sharply in two directions: large-scale archaeological research with advanced scientific methods (ARCHCAUCASUS combining paleogenetics and material science) and digital infrastructure for open humanities data (SSHOC, IPERION HS). This reflects a clear shift from infrastructure planning toward both deep scientific fieldwork and digital data sharing.

DAI is moving toward integrating hard science methods (paleogenetics, material analysis) into archaeology while simultaneously investing in open, FAIR-compliant data infrastructure for the humanities.

How they like to work

DAI primarily operates as a participant in large European consortia — 3 of their 5 projects are in partner or third-party roles within broad, multi-country networks. Their single coordinator role is on ARCHCAUCASUS, an ERC Advanced Grant reflecting individual research excellence rather than consortium management. With 119 unique partners across 27 countries, they are well-connected but function more as a respected specialist contributor than a consortium organizer.

DAI has collaborated with 119 unique partners across 27 countries, indicating a deeply pan-European and international network. Their partnerships span heritage science institutions, social science data centers, and cultural heritage policy organizations.

What sets them apart

DAI occupies a rare position as a nationally funded archaeological institute with both deep field expertise (excavations in the Caucasus, Near East, Mediterranean) and strong commitment to European digital research infrastructure. Unlike university archaeology departments, DAI operates long-term field missions and maintains permanent research stations worldwide. For consortium builders, they bring credibility in heritage science, access to unique archaeological sites and collections, and experience integrating scientific analysis methods into humanities research.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ARCHCAUCASUS
  ERC Advanced Grant worth EUR 2.5M where DAI coordinates — combines paleogenetics, material studies, and Bronze Age archaeology in the Caucasus, representing their most ambitious interdisciplinary research.
• SSHOC
  Major infrastructure project building the Social Sciences & Humanities Open Cloud, positioning DAI at the intersection of archaeology and FAIR open data for all SSH disciplines.
• E-RIHS PP
  Preparatory phase of the European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science — an ESFRI landmark that DAI helped shape from the ground up.