CESSDAs external advisory bodies consist of different scientific advisory bodies such as SSHOC (the Social Sciences and Humanities Open Cluster), the ERIC Forum and other informal scientific advisory groups.

CESSDA also runs the SSH Open Science Cluster (SSHOC) secretariat on behalf of the five SSH ERICs and the six SSH projects on the ESFRI preparatory list. As the current SSHOC Chair, CESSDA is also currently in the Executive Board of the ERIC Forum.

Scientific advisory groups to CESSDA comprise of:
DDI Alliance
CODATA
RDA
National research networks in different countries.