Dataset from the empirical study (website and document analyses) on the organizational positioning of artistic research (künstlerische Forschung) at German public art and music colleges (Kunst- und Musikhochschulen, KMHS). The dataset forms the basis of the published research report (ISBN 978-3-69059-014-3). Germany lags significantly behind other European countries in the institutionalisation of artistic research at art and music colleges. To provide a robust assessment of current developments, this report analyses the organisational structures of publicly funded KMHS based primarily on systematic website and document analyses. In doing so, it updates and extends German Science and Humanities Council’s report from 2021. The findings depict a field that is both heterogeneous and dynamic. The study is part of the BMFTR-funded joint project “ILLUME – Potentials of Complementary Research Practices in the Higher Education System: Contributions and Structures of Artistic Research and its Integration at Art and Music Colleges.”