The research, 'The post-Nazi society. The ‘group experiment’ of the Institute for Social Research: indexing, editing, research', sought to understand to what extent national socialism had survived its collapse, as well as the prevalence of racism and antisemitism. 

The results of the study remained largely unpublished at the time because of concerns over "political repercussions", according to a press release from the University of Wuppertal, one of the parties involved in the new initiative.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) is providing initial funding of €1.3m for the first three years of the project.

Set to run for 12 years, the research will transcribe and make freely accessible the contents of the group experiment, establishing the basis for further research via an online portal.

The project will also analyse the research material, with the project team anticipating that the group experiment will offer "significant new insights into the understanding of post-Nazi society in West Germany", according to the statement.

Sociologist Stephan Lessenich, director of the Frankfurt-based IfS and professor at Goethe University, Patrick Sahle, professor of digital humanities at the University of Wuppertal, and Dr Thomas Risse, head of IT services at the Johann Christian Senckenberg University Library, will work on the initiative, coordinated by Dirk Braunstein, head of archives at the IfS.

An interdisciplinary International Scientific Advisory Board will monitor the edition and research within the framework of the project.

The Digital Humanities of the University of Wuppertal will be responsible for the methodological and technical issues of digital cataloguing, editing and research. 

Pictured: Römerberg Square, Frankfurt