About RIsources

RIsources (RI = Research Infrastructure) is a portal operated by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) containing information about scientific research infrastructures which provide researchers with resources and services for planning and implementing research projects. A research infrastructure may be a single location or a group of distributed institutions and networked systems, which may form part of a national or international network. RIsources includes research infrastructures which:

• offer recognised, established scientific and technological facilities or services
• permit free access or regulate access through a transparent selection process based on scientific quality and project feasibility
• are managed according to sustainable principles and have a long-term perspective

These terms can be found in the DFG published guidelines for research infrastructures.

Following the guidelines and granting access to research infrastructures and information sources for external users, will result in a more effective use of already available resources and a more professional support by the infrastructures as in terms of data analysis or the acquisition of new techniques. In addition, the portal gives a quick overview of all research infrastructures at German academic institutions.

Research infrastructures, which are not yet included in the portal, can register themselves at the DFG at any time. The DFG will check the above-mentioned criteria and based on this process come to a decision to include the infrastructure into the portal.