Human-centred governance

About the working group

This working group sets out to strengthen SSH research infrastructures by making visible and valuing the human and relational work at the heart of knowledge production — work that purely technical criteria (FAIR compliance, standardisation, efficiency) cannot capture. Through participatory workshops, interviews and case studies, it develops a human-centred governance and evaluation model and rethinks the collective agency of these infrastructures: their shared capacity to act on the institutional, cultural and social systems in which they operate. By bringing to the fore the visions, values and knowledge of the people who make these infrastructures thrive, the group positions them as essential scientific and cultural institutions, giving them a concrete language and tools to affirm their role to funders and policymakers.

Objectives

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. It aims to conduct a study and survey to identify relevant evaluation criteria for SSH infrastructures, and review possible ways to operationalise these criteria and to implement them.

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 to develop the means to demonstrate their relevance and evolution to funders, policy makers and the general public.

Responsible person

Dr. Enrico Natale
Director of infoclio.ch, the Swiss professional portal for the historical sciences