Context

Research infrastructures in the humanities and social sciences occupy a fragile position in the national landscape. They are often evaluated according to technical criteria (FAIR compliance, standardisation, efficiency) that do not reflect their real value: producing knowledge through hermeneutic, relational and human work. This invisibility weakens their legitimacy among funders and decision-makers.

Aim

To develop a human-centred governance and evaluation model that recognises the specific nature of SSH infrastructures and strengthens their position as institutions that are essential to national research.

Key questions

• What visions and values do existing SSH infrastructures embody?
• What human work (documentation, managers, researchers) and what skills make the work of these infrastructures possible?
• How do the actors themselves view the added value they produce?
• How can an SSH infrastructure be evaluated in terms of its specific characteristics: impact on knowledge production, quality of governance, capacity for transmission?
• How can we consider the agency of SHS infrastructures, i.e. their capacity to act and influence their environment, within a complex system (human relations, institutional landscape, technical infrastructure, governance models, funding)?

Methods

• Participatory workshops with infrastructure stakeholders (managers, researchers, staff)
• Archives of practices documenting tacit knowledge and the histories of infrastructures
• Interviews and narratives capturing the actors’ own definitions of their added value and the values they uphold
• Case studies analysing the genesis and governance of existing infrastructures

Expected deliverables

• Alternative evaluation framework: criteria and indicators measuring the human and scientific added value of SSH infrastructures
• Archive of practices: documentation of the knowledge and histories of infrastructure actors
• Governance method: guide to participatory and transparent governance of SSH infrastructures

Objectives 2026

1. Contribution to the conference “AI Supply Chains: Building an Interdisciplinary Research Agenda for AI and Labour” (Geneva, 9–11 Sept. 2026)

Intellectual work, particularly that involving data enrichment, is one of the fields undergoing rapid automation via Large Language Models and artificial intelligence. The aim of this call for papers is to explore how research infrastructures in the humanities and social sciences can highlight and give visibility to the contribution of human labour within their knowledge production chain, and ensure that this contribution remains valued throughout the lifecycle of the information and data they produce. See the call for papers (Deadline 30 April 2026).

Those interested in developing this proposal are asked to contact infoclio.ch. Preparatory work ahead of the SSHOC-CH General Assembly will be limited to a virtual meeting.

2. Evaluation criteria for research infrastructures in the humanities and social sciences and the development of suitable indicators.

How can the impact of research infrastructures in the humanities and social sciences be substantiated? To move beyond simply counting ‘clicks’ – which often have little meaning – the working group proposes to discuss and reflect on the criteria for assessing the work carried out by these infrastructures and on how to measure it. Following the innovative model of the report on “The Impact of Canadian Public Libraries” (2026), the working group will open a discussion on what relevant evaluation criteria might be for SSH infrastructures and how to implement them.

3. Rethinking the collective agency of SSH infrastructures

Taking a longer-term view, the working group invites SSHOC-CH members to reflect collectively on their capacity to act and influence the many systems within which they operate. This work involves a collaborative process to bring to the fore the visions, values and knowledge of the men and women working in social sciences and humanities research infrastructures, and to jointly determine common objectives.

Strategic impact

This working group positions SSH infrastructures as essential scientific and cultural institutions, thereby legitimising their funding and central role in the Swiss research ecosystem. It provides institutions with a language and tools to justify their existence and evolution to funders and policy makers.

Call for interested parties

SSHOC-CH members interested in joining this WG are invited to contact enrico.natale@infoclio.ch.