The article examines the ecosystem of research infrastructures in Lithuania’s social sciences. This ecosystem is distinct from those of other thematic areas due to its more active inter-institutional and interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as its better integration into international networks. The article aims to explore the reasons behind this unique interpretation. The interactionist approach in the sociology of infrastructure, which views infrastructures as dynamic processes that continually evolve through specific negotiations and micro-interactions, has been applied to analyze the social sciences research and development (R&D) ecosystem. The vitality of Lithuania‘s social sciences R&D ecosystem relies on the mobility of researchers, informal networking, and the capacity to initiate and link different projects. Despite ongoing funding challenges – especially in the early stages of R&D development – data and access to it form the foundation of this ecosystem, uniting researchers and government institutions around a shared objective: understanding society and crafting data-driven public policies.
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