Posilování česko-švýcarské spolupráce pro udržitelné a inovativní výzkumné infrastruktury ve společenských vědách (CZ-CH CORISS)

European research infrastructures are only as strong as their national nodes. In the Czech Republic, this role is fulfilled by the European Social Survey (ESS-CZ) and the Czech Social Science Data Archive (CSDA), which together form a key support for internationally comparable research in the social sciences. ESS-CZ has been part of the ESS ERIC consortium since 2001 and has long provided high-quality data on social change. CSDA has been collecting, managing, and providing access to social science data as the national node of the CESSDA ERIC consortium. Both infrastructures thus fundamentally anchor the Czech Republic’s involvement in the European research area—while currently undergoing significant transformations.

For ESS-CZ, a major methodological innovation over the past twenty years has been the transition from face-to-face interviewing to self-administered methods. In the Czech context, however, this transition is still slower: the number of tazatelů (interviewers) has been declining, response rates are decreasing, access to population registers is limited, and the costs of field data collection are increasing. Switzerland, which already operates a survey based on population registers and recruitment of respondents primarily via postal contact, offers proven procedures and valuable practical experience.

The main challenge for CSDA is expanding its capacity in response to the growing volume and diversity of social science data. Researchers increasingly require faster access to data, higher-quality and more detailed metadata, and solutions for working with sensitive or non-standard data, which demand specific approaches to long-term preservation and secure access. At the same time, there is increasing demand for training, support for data citation, and consistent implementation of FAIR principles. The ability to respond to these needs is crucial for maintaining CSDA as a trustworthy national node and for further strengthening its position within CESSDA.

 Collaboration with the Swiss centre of expertise in social sciences (FORS) represents a unique opportunity to effectively address these challenges while building on the strengths of both Czech infrastructures. FORS is an internationally recognized institution in the fields of survey methodology development and advanced user services in data archiving. By combining Swiss innovative approaches with Czech expertise in implementing survey and data services, the project will bring lasting benefits to both partners and contribute to strengthening the inclusiveness of European research infrastructures from a Central European perspective.