The Research Data Centre (FDZ-RV) was set-up in 2004 as an integral part of the German Federal Pension Insurance (Deutsche Rentenversicherung). Since then, the Research Data Centre produced several cross-sectional and longitudinal datasets, also called Scientific Use Files (SUF), available to researchers interested in issues of retirement, disability and rehabilitation. The datasets are released on an annual basis.
The Scientific Use Files are subsamples drawn from the pool of individuals who are insured in the Federal Pension Insurance. The information provided in the original datasets is necessary to administer the beneficiaries of the pension insurance.