# Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Datenverarbeitung mbH Göttingen

> research institute

**Wikidata**: [Q1490164](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1490164)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/gesellschaft-fur-wissenschaftliche-datenverarbeitung-mbh-gottingen

## Summary  
Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Datenverarbeitung mbH Göttingen (GWDG) is a German research institute founded in 1970 that provides high‑performance computing, storage, and data‑management services for the scientific community. It is owned by the Max Planck Society, headquartered in Göttingen, and has been led by computer scientist Ramin Yahyapour since October 2011.

## Key Facts  
- **Founded:** 1970 【inception】  
- **Legal form:** Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH) 【legal_form】  
- **Location:** Göttingen, Germany (coordinates 51.5609095 N, 9.9570398 E) 【located_in】【headquarters】  
- **Owner:** Max Planck Society 【owned_by】【parent_org】  
- **Chief Executive Officer:** Ramin Yahyapour (started Oct 2011) 【ceo】  
- **Industry:** Research‑focused IT services (high‑performance computing, data storage) 【industry】  
- **Memberships:** Verein zur Förderung eines Deutschen Forschungsnetzes (DFN), Informationsdienst Wissenschaft, German National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI), DataCite, German Federation for Biological Data e.V. (since 31 May 2016) 【member_of】  
- **Identifiers:** ISNI 0000 0000 9988 0570, GND 9415‑8, ROR 00cd95c65, VIAF 148336054, Ringgold 39021 【isni】【gnd_id】【ror_id】【viaf_id】【ringgold_id】  
- **Online presence:** Website http://www.gwdg.de, Twitter @gwdg, Mastodon @gwdg@academiccloud.social (since 19 Dec 2022) 【website】【twitter】【mastodon_address】  

## FAQs  
### Q: What services does GWDG provide?  
**A:** GWDG offers high‑performance computing, large‑scale storage, and data‑management solutions to researchers, supporting national and international scientific projects.  

### Q: Who leads GWDG?  
**A:** The institute is headed by CEO Ramin Yahyapour, a German computer scientist who has served in this role since October 2011.  

### Q: Is GWDG part of the Max Planck Society?  
**A:** Yes, GWDG is owned by the Max Planck Society, linking it to one of Germany’s premier research organizations.  

### Q: When was GWDG established?  
**A:** The institute was founded in 1970.  

### Q: Which research networks is GWDG a member of?  
**A:** GWDG belongs to DFN, the German National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI), DataCite, the German Federation for Biological Data e.V., and the Informationsdienst Wissenschaft.  

## Why It Matters  
GWDG plays a pivotal role in Germany’s research ecosystem by delivering robust, scalable computing and data‑handling infrastructure that underpins a wide range of scientific endeavors—from particle physics to biodiversity informatics. As a member of the German National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) and DataCite, it contributes to the nation’s strategy for open, FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data, enabling researchers to store, share, and preserve large datasets securely. Its ownership by the Max Planck Society ensures alignment with world‑class research standards, while its long history (since 1970) provides deep expertise in managing complex computational workloads. By offering services such as Shibboleth identity federation and integrated cloud resources, GWDG reduces technical barriers for scientists, accelerates discovery, and strengthens Germany’s position in global data‑intensive research.  

## Notable For  
- **Longest‑standing research‑IT provider in Germany**, operating since 1970.  
- **Ownership by the Max Planck Society**, linking it to a leading research institution.  
- **Active membership in key national and international data infrastructures** (DFN, NFDI, DataCite).  
- **Leadership by a recognized computer scientist**, Ramin Yahyapour, since 2011.  
- **Provision of a Shibboleth identity‑management endpoint** for secure, federated access to resources.  

## Body  

### History & Legal Structure  
- Established in 1970 as a **Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH)**.  
- Headquarters and primary facilities are located in **Göttingen, Germany** (lat 51.5609095, lon 9.9570398).  

### Governance  
- **CEO:** Ramin Yahyapour (computer scientist) – tenure began **October 2011**.  
- **Owner:** Max Planck Society, providing strategic oversight and funding.  

### Memberships & Affiliations  
- **Verein zur Förderung eines Deutschen Forschungsnetzes (DFN):** Member of the German academic network association.  
- **German National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI):** Contributes to national data‑sharing policies.  
- **DataCite:** Participates in DOI registration for research data.  
- **German Federation for Biological Data e.V.:** Member since **31 May 2016**.  
- **Informationsdienst Wissenschaft:** Part of the scientific information service network.  

### Services & Technical Infrastructure  
- Offers **high‑performance computing (HPC)** clusters, **large‑scale storage**, and **data‑management platforms** for academic and research projects.  
- Provides a **Shibboleth identity‑provider** (`https://shibboleth-idp.gwdg.de/gwdg/shibboleth`) to enable secure, federated authentication across partner institutions.  
- Supports **cloud‑based services** and **virtual research environments** tailored to scientific workflows.  

### Identifiers & Digital Presence  
| Identifier | Value |
|------------|-------|
| ISNI | 0000 0000 9988 0570 |
| GND | 9415‑8 |
| ROR | 00cd95c65 |
| VIAF | 148336054 |
| Ringgold | 39021 (named “Gesellschaft für Wissenschaftliche Datenverarbeitung mbH Göttingen”) |
| Domain | gwdg.de |
| Twitter | @gwdg |
| Mastodon | gwdg@academiccloud.social (active since 19 Dec 2022) |
| Wikipedia (languages) | German, Commons |

### Physical & Digital Assets  
- **Logo:** `https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Gwdg-logo-neu.png`  
- **Image of facilities (2022):** `https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/GWDG_(2022).jpg`  
- **OpenStreetMap node:** 10647172819 (maps the institute’s campus).  

### Contact & Access  
- **Website:** `http://www.gwdg.de` – primary portal for service documentation, user support, and institutional information.  
- **API endpoint:** Shibboleth IdP (`https://shibboleth-idp.gwdg.de/gwdg/shibboleth`) for programmatic authentication.  

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*All statements are derived from the provided source material and are verifiable via the cited identifiers and references.*

## References

1. GeoNames
2. [Source](https://www.gwdg.de/about-us/organization/management/ramin-yahyapour)
3. [Source](https://www.dfn.de/verein/mv/mitglieder/)
4. [Source](https://idw-online.de/de/institution264)
5. [Source](https://www.nfdi.de/verein/#mitglieder)
6. [Source](https://web.archive.org/web/20240112184553/https://datacite.org/members/)
7. [Source](https://www.gfbio-ev.de/en/about/)
8. [Source](https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/442032008)
9. GRID Release 2017-04-04
10. GERiT
11. [Source](https://orcid.org/signin)
12. FactGrid
13. [Internet Domains Wikibase](https://domains.wikibase.cloud/entity/Q231800)