FORS is the Swiss centre of expertise in the social sciences.

We support social science research by collecting and providing survey data for Swiss and international research projects, building on our expertise in designing and implementing surveys.

We ensure the long-term archiving and open dissemination of research data, and offer methodological, data management, and technical support.

We foster national and international collaborations and actively promote Open Research Data to encourage data sharing and reuse.

FIND & DEPOSIT DATA

STAFF

OPEN POSITIONS

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Events

RDM Essentials: Good Data Management from the Start

16/11/2026

Start your project with good data management. November 16, 2026 | 13:30–16:00 | Online | Free

FORS-DaSCH webinar on Research Data Management & AI: Overview and good practices

10/12/2026

This webinar, hosted by Rita Gautschy (DaSCH) and Auriane Marmier (FORS), introduces the key opportunities, challenges, and good practices of using AI with research data in the social sciences and humanities.

Call for papers: Dynamics of life and society. SHP & TREE conference

15/01/2027

Submit your paper or session by January 15, 2027 — the conference, organized by the Swiss Household Panel (SHP) and TREE, takes place 8–9 June 2027 at the University of Bern.

All Events

News

Join us for the Research Data Management and Open Science for Social Sciences course This 5-day intensive course in Lugano will be taught by experts from USI, FORS, and UNIL. Designed for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, it covers the full research data lifecycle. Read more	Call for Papers: Dynamics of Life and Society: SHP & TREE Conference Submit your paper or session by January 15, 2027 — the conference, organized by the Swiss Household Panel (SHP) and TREE, takes place 8–9 June 2027 at the University of Bern. Read more
Democracy research in Europe takes a major step forward MEDem has officially been included on the ESFRI Roadmap. It is one of six research infrastructure projects included in Europe as part of the 2026 update, and the only new one within the Social Sciences and Humanities. Read more	Call for Abstracts: 5th ISSP User Conference on Family and Changing Gender Roles The International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) invites researchers to submit abstracts for the 5th ISSP User Conference, which will take place online on 30 November 2026. Read more