The Netherlands is building the world’s first population-level research infrastructure: the Macroscope. The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded a grant of €16.8 million from the National Roadmap for Large-Scale Research Infrastructures. Once fully operational in 2030, the Macroscope will enable researchers to tackle societal challenges – from understanding the spread of disinformation and the erosion of social trust to tracking the long-term effects of demographic change.
The Macroscope
The project is a joint initiative of two SSH (Social Sciences & Humanities) infrastructures in the Netherlands: ODISSEI (social sciences and economic data) and CLARIAH (cultural and linguistic archives) and reinforces the Netherlands’ international leadership in social and humanities data research.
The Macroscope consists of four integrated components: secure data vaults, unified data sources bringing together surveys and archives, AI tools developed and evaluated for research, and a public access portal for researchers and citizens alike.
Insight into the hidden dynamics of society
The Macroscope makes it possible to better understand shifts in behaviour, trust, culture and information provision. By linking data from a variety of sources – from the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision to CBS and SCP – scientists can reveal trends and social dynamics without infringing on privacy.
“Just as the microscope revealed the hidden world of cells, the Macroscope can help reveal the hidden dynamics of societies,” says dr. Tom Emery, principal investigator and executive director of ODISSEI (Open Data Infrastructure for Social Science and Economic Innovations).
A nationwide collaboration
The project brings together 14 Dutch universities with leading institutes, including Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the Netherlands eScience Centre, the Royal Library (KB), the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (B&G), and the KNAW Humanities Cluster – coordinated by Erasmus University Rotterdam. Together, they are building a sustainable foundation for interdisciplinary research that sharpens social insights and strengthens policy-making. In a time of polarisation, digitisation, and a lack of trust in government and the media, knowledge of human behaviour and culture is crucial. The Macroscope contributes to this.
Principal applicant: Dr T. Emery, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Consortium partners: Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, Centerdata, Statistics Netherlands, Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS), Huygens Institute, Institute for the Dutch Language, International Institute of Social History, Royal Library, Meertens Institute, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, Netherlands eScience Centre, Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute, Open University, Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Radboud University, University of Groningen, Netherlands Institute for Social Research, Tilburg University, Delft University of Technology, Leiden University, Utrecht University, University of Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
ODISSEI press release | EUR press release
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Note to editors
Questions about the project: Tom Emery (principal investigator)
tom@odissei-data.nl
Background information about the project: Claes de Vreese (member SSH-council)
c.h.devreese@uva.nl
Questions about communication: Jos Nierop (communications officer, SSH-council)
j.m.nierop@uu.nl