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====== Welcome to the Social Sciences & Humanities Open Cluster Switzerland! ======
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==== Mission ====
The mission of SSHOC-CH is to create a cluster of social science and humanities research infrastructures in Switzerland, encompassing both national infrastructures and the national nodes of international infrastructures. The goal is to ensure the exchange and cooperation of research infrastructures to support research projects and researchers, identify and foster synergies, and, where possible, develop joint platforms and services or enhance the interoperability of existing ones. SSHOC-CH provides a framework for the establishment of new research infrastructures and establishes connections with SSHOC at the European level and with other national clusters. By facilitating cooperation and support, SSHOC-CH complements existing infrastructures and their activities, which are represented by a member of the SSHOC-CH association. (Translation from SSHOC-CH Statutes) </WRAP></WRAP>

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==== ====== The timely need for SSHOC-CH ====== ====


To advance knowledge production and innovation in the social sciences and humanities national research infrastructures are indispensable for the research community. While disciplinary differences regarding data types, technologies, methodologies, and research questions exist, it is also obvious that scholars from social sciences and humanities face similar challenges when it comes to complying with Open Science requirements. Moreover, the production, analysis and storage of the various types of data (such as survey data, text data, images, etc.) produced in the social sciences and humanities requires well-equipped infrastructure and up-to date expertise. 


While in Switzerland, such infrastructure and expertise are available in the so-called national (i.e. FORS, SWISSUbase, DaSCH and LiRI) or local infrastructures (i.e. Collection Builder, Fondue, Geovistory, nodegoat, Année politique Suisse, swiss vote, histHub, dodis, metagrid, infoclio.ch), there is a lack of active exchange between these infrastructures. However, such an exchange is needed to synergize expertise, develop joint, uncomplicated solutions and to foster innovation in research. Moreover, such a joint endeavor will allow Switzerland to catch-up and compete with already existing European solutions. 

==== ===== Concretely, the vision is to: ===== ====

  * Enable synergies and foster collaborations
  * Through cooperation, complement and enhance existing infrastructures
  * Provide a framework for new research infrastructures
  * Establish the link to SSHOC at the European level and to other national clusters

=== ===== Proposed lines of action ===== ===

  * Contribute in a coordinated manner to the national policy dialogue on key topics relevant to the SSH research infrastructure community. 
  * Develop joint policies from an SSH perspective, in particularly focusing on data management and sharing. 
  * Contribute to creating an overview of existing projects, resources, and facilities available to the SSH community, identifying gaps, and monitoring new developments that may need to be addressed in the future. 
  * Identify and create synergies between existing research infrastructures. 
  * Achieve Critical Mass. 
  * Participate in funding calls. 
  * Coordinate training and support. 
  * Carry out community engagement and outreach activities. 

Consult our **White Paper** written on the occasion of the founding of SSHOC-CH 
(click {{ :sshoc-ch_white_paper_v04.09.2024.pdf |here}} to download the latest version published on September 4, 2024).


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