The Joint Science Conference (GWK) approved the request made by the State of Rhineland-Palatinate that the basic funding of ZPID will be raised permanently, so that ZPID is able to expand its services.
The Institute's aim is to support the whole scientific work process for psychologists and scientists of related disciplines - from gathering ideas and researching literature to documenting research, archiving data and publishing the results. In the future there will be adequate services for each phase.
Among other aims is the enhancement of the already existing research platform PubPsych and the offer of a cloud-based system for study-planning (PsychNotebook) as well as a combined Online-/Offline-Lab called PsychLab. Additionally, research at ZPID will be reinforced by establishing two additional research units that will focus on "Big Data in Psychology" and "Research Synthesis Methods".
All ZPID services are free of charge
It is important to ZPID that all services support open, transparent and replicable research (Open Science). Open Science means also that science always will be accessible as well as economically affordable. All ZPID services are free of charge.
The Minister of Science, Education and Culture in Rhineland-Palatinate, Prof. Konrad Wolf, appreciates the decision of the Joint Science Conference whose chairmanship he had in 2019. "For decades ZPID has provided important services supporting psychological research in Germany and across its borders. Since these services will support the whole scientific work process in the future and the digital dimension is consequently taken into account as well as researched, ZPID will secure the productivity and credibility of science, especially in times when its credibility is challenged more than ever before. Simultaneously, ZPID provides an important contribution towards the strengthening of the research site Trier as well as the state of Rhineland-Palatinate."
"We are pleased that the Joint Science Conference (GWK) explicitly approves the expansion of the digital support services for psychological research and practice", says ZPID director Prof. Michael Bosnjak. "Thereby ZPID enters a new phase in its almost 50 year history. After essentially contributing to the international visibility of psychology of the German-speaking countries so far, we are now strategically expanding to complete our service portfolio for psychology in the digital domain and take it into the future."
Member of the Leibniz Association
The GWK followed with its decision the recommendation of the Senate of the Leibniz Association. After an evaluation in 2018 the Senate recommended the expansion. The GWK coordinates the scientific support in Germany. Members are the confederate and state ministers of science and research as well as finance.
ZPID is member of the Leibniz Association. It is located at the campus of Trier University and currently has more than 50 employees.