The Association for Research Infrastructures in the Humanities and Cultural Studies (GKFI) is the long-term solution of CLARIAH-DE project and aims at the further development and networking of research infrastructures in the humanities and cultural studies in Germany and Europe. Thereby, it continues a long history: the two long-term funded national humanities and cultural studies infrastructure projects CLARIN-D (as the German national node of CLARIN ERIC) and DARIAH-DE (as the German national node of DARIAH ERIC) merged into CLARIAH-DE in 2019 in order to combine their portfolios and benefit from synergy effects. After CLARIAH-DE's funding expired, the GKFI now is the sustainability solution for CLARIAH-DE's offers and services. Instead of founding a new association, the TextGrid e.V. - Verein zum nachhaltigen Betrieb einer virtuellen Forschungsumgebung in den Geisteswissenschaften (Association for the Sustainable Operation of a Virtual Research Environment in the Humanities) was transformed. The GKFI represents CLARIN-D, DARIAH-DE and TextGrid as well as all other research infrastructures in the humanities and cultural studies that might join, such as OPERAS.

As a central point of contact for their communities, the association has set itself the following goals:

• Representation of interests for the humanities and cultural studies at national and international level in NFDI, NHR, EOSC, RDA etc. as well as via ERICs.
• Coordination of national nodes to European research infrastructures in the humanities and cultural studies (currently CLARIN-D, DARIAH-DE and OPERAS)
• Cooperation with science policy, science organisations and professional societies as well as with other stakeholders in the humanities and cultural sciences, in particular the NFDI consortia in the humanities and cultural sciences NFDI4Culture, NFDI4Memory, NFDI4Objects and Text+.
• Thematic focus on digital research infrastructures, research data, virtual research environments as well as digital research processes and addressing user perspectives in research and teaching
• Advice, provision, further development and communication of knowledge, tools and services for the promotion of digital scientific cultures at national and international level.

By bundling existing offers and activities, the GKFI becomes a central entry point and an important player. It wants to accompany current developments and digital cultural practices in research, teaching and transfer and thus play a significant role in shaping the digital transformation in the humanities and cultural studies.