Infrastructure Priority Programme “New Data Spaces for the Social Sciences” (SPP 2431)
DFG's SPP 2431 funds research on innovative methods for data collection, integration, and analysis in social science panel surveys, focusing on AI, new data types, and advanced survey technologies.
Funder: German Research Foundation
Due Dates: April 10, 2026 (short outline for workshop) | September 9, 2026 (elan portal registration) | September 16, 2026 (full proposal submission)
Funding Amounts: Funding for individual research projects, typically up to 3 years per project within the 2027–2030 period; budget based on project needs and DFG rates.
Summary: Supports research advancing methods for data collection, integration, and analysis in the social sciences, with emphasis on new data types, respondent-driven designs, validity, and multimodal acquisition.
Key Information: Proposals must be submitted via the DFG elan portal; early registration required.
Description
The Infrastructure Priority Programme “New Data Spaces for the Social Sciences” (SPP 2431) is a major initiative of the German Research Foundation (DFG) to address the evolving challenges in social science panel surveys, such as declining response rates, growing heterogeneity, and rising data collection costs. The programme funds research that pioneers new forms of data and data generation, methodological innovations, and integration of expertise from empirical social research and computer science. Projects are expected to develop and test advanced methods for generating, collecting, and integrating data, aiming to improve data quality and applicability in panel studies and data analytic approaches.
The programme’s second funding period (2027–2030) focuses on four interconnected research areas:
- Exploration and integration of different data types (including data linkage and AI/machine learning methods)
- Respondent-driven designs (adaptive recruitment, sampling, and survey personalization)
- Instrument validity (especially for AI-based methods and new constructs)
- Multimodal data acquisition (innovative technological tools, including VR/AR and automated interview systems)
Projects benefit from access to the ENTAILab, which provides research infrastructure, data processing, analytics, and support for interoperability and secure method deployment.
