Home // EN Content // Partners // FORS Swiss Foundation for Research in Social SciencesSupport for Establishment of National/Regional Social Sciences Data Archives
SERSCIDA is designed as a strategic project for supporting the cooperation and exchange of knowledge between the EU countries associated within the Council of European Social Sciences Data Archives (CESSDA) and the Western Balkan Countries (WBC) in the field of social science data archiving. The project addresses the issues of potentials of usage of information-communication technologies for the benefits of scientific research and exchange of knowledge as laid down in the call for proposals topic. The project aims to produce tangible results and improve the capacities for exchange of knowledge and data collected through research in social sciences between the European countries and WBC involved.
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FORS Swiss Foundation for Research in Social Sciences
The Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences (FORS) maintains a national social science data archive, facilitates access to official statistics micro data, and represents Switzerland on the Council of European Social Science Data Archives (CESSDA). In addition, FORS combines research infrastructures like the Swiss Household Panel (SHP), the Swiss Election Study, the Swiss Social Report, and the Swiss parts of several cross-national surveys (European Social Survey, International Social Survey Program, Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe SHARE, Luxembourg Income Study). FORS activities are co-financed by the Swiss Confederation, the Swiss National Science Foundation, and its host institution, the University of Lausanne.
Main tasks in SERSCIDA: FORS will serve as Workpackage Leader for WP5 and Task Leader for T4.1
FORS is a primary Swiss centre for preservation of social science data produced in the country and has extensive experience and existing systems for the storage, documentation, and dissemination of complex datasets. It is consortium member to the FP7 Data without Boundaries project, and will play a role in a possible future CESSDA-ERIC. FORS also participated in the CESSDA PPP project.
Brian KLEINER is Head of Data and Research Information Services at FORS. Dr. Kleiner has 15 years of experience in the applied social sciences. He currently oversees all data service activities at FORS and participates regularly in CESSDA developments. He will be responsible for leading WP5 and task 4.1 of SERSCIDA.
Bojana TASIC is Head of IT group at FORS, and will be responsible for all IT-related matters in the project activities that are led by FORS. Ms. Tasic has over 9 years of commercial experience in the areas of software engineering, technical analysis, design, integration, development and deployment of distributed Internet applications. She graduated the Information Systems at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Department for Information Systems. Ms. Tasic has a practical knowledge of IT matters related to social science research as well as software industry best practices.
Renate KUNZ is working in the Data Service group of FORS since the beginning of October 2013 and will mainly be working on WP5 of SERSCIDA. Ms. Kunz has a history degree from the University of Berne and has been working in several different archives and library environments in the last 7 years. Her focus is on appraisal and description of different holdings and reference services. She recently graduated with a Master of Advanced Studies in Archival, Library and Information Science (MAS ALIS) at the University of Berne and Lausanne.
CONTACT DETAILS
Brian Kleiner, Head of Data and Research Information Services, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
FORS Swiss Foundation for Research in Social Sciences
C/o Université de Lausanne
Bâtiment Géopolis
CH- 1015 Lausanne
Tél. +41 21 692 37 44
Fax +41 21 692 37 35
Web http://www.forscenter.ch
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Framework programme
Partners
- FORS Swiss Foundation for Research in Social Sciences (CH)
- Institute of Economic Sciences Belgrade (SR)
- HRC Sarajevo University of Sarajevo, Human Rights Centre (BiH)
- University of Essex, United Kingdom Data Archives (UK)
- University of Gothenburg, Swedish National Data Service (SE)
- University of Ljubljana, Social Science Data Archive (SI)
- University of Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HR)
Open Access
'Open Access' refers to the practice of granting free Internet access to research publications and data. As all research and innovation builds on earlier achievements, an efficient system for broad dissemination of and access to research publications and raw data can accelerate scientific progress. The OECD Declaration of 2008 states "that open access to, and unrestricted use of data promotes scientific progress and facilitates the training of researchers," as well as maximizing "the value derived from public investments in data collection efforts." SERSCIDA will address the need for improved and open access to and dissemination of primary data collected through research in social sciences while at the same time trying to support reinforcement of the existing national strategies and structures, and to contribute to development of new ones.