About ISSDA

The Irish Social Science Data Archive (ISSDA) is Ireland’s centre for quantitative data acquisition, preservation, and dissemination. Based at UCD Library, its mission is to ensure wide access to quantitative datasets in the social sciences, and to advance the promotion of international comparative studies of the Irish economy and Irish society.

ISSDA holds a range of key Irish and international comparative datasets, and makes them available for secondary analysis by its Designated Community. ISSDA’s Designated Community consists of higher education institutions (HEIs) and research-performing organisations (RPOs) across multiple sectors and jurisdictions with broad relevance to the Social Sciences and Public Health. 

ISSDA is committed to maintaining these data resources for the long term, ensuring that, as data formats evolve and advance, the archive’s holdings are always available in easily accessible forms.

In 2021 ISSDA joined CESSDA (Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives) as Ireland’s National Service Provider.

ISSDA's activities had been made possible by funding from UCD Library and Research Ireland.