Science Council confirms: outstanding research at the Weizenbaum Institute

In its statement, the German Council of Science and Humanities says: "With its outstanding scientists and its highly relevant research priorities, the Weizenbaum Institute has a very good chance of playing a key role in interdisciplinary digitization research with national and international appeal."

The German Council of Science and Humanities supports the Weizenbaum Institute's goal of "assuming a central position in national and international digitalization research, while at the same time actively shaping the dialogue with politics and society and also acting as a pioneer of interdisciplinary research." In this sense, the institute has already provided important impetus and has "developed impressively overall".

"We are delighted that the German Council of Science and Humanities has given the development work of the past six years such a good report card. It praises not only the outstanding research performance, but also the unique collaborative structure of the institute, which gives it the flexibility to research digital change," says Christoph Neuberger, Scientific Director of the Weizenbaum Institute.

"This positive evaluation is an important milestone for the Weizenbaum Institute. The Science Council has made it clear that our institute needs a long-term perspective in order to develop its full potential. With this tailwind, the next steps can now be taken to consolidate the Institute as an independent research institution," explains Ricarda Opitz, Administrative Director of the Weizenbaum Institute.

The Science Council encourages the Institute to further develop its innovative profile with a long-term perspective. Above all, transfer and interdisciplinarity are hallmarks of the Weizenbaum Institute that should be further strengthened. In line with its increasing independence and growing tasks, the Institute should also consistently drive forward its organizational development.

Background

The Weizenbaum Institute was founded in 2017 as the "Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society - The German Internet Institute". After a successful start-up phase, it is now striving to become an independent research institution with the support of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the states of Berlin and Brandenburg via Article 91b of the Basic Law as part of a federal-state cooperation. The evaluation by the German Council of Science and Humanities is a decisive milestone on this path.

The German Council of Science and Humanities is the oldest science policy advisory body in Europe. It advises the Federal Government and the governments of the federal states on all issues relating to the substantive and structural development of science, research and the higher education sector. In doing so, it pursues the goal of facilitating and supporting an efficient, functionally and institutionally differentiated and internationally competitive science system. 

Download: Statement of the German Council of Science und Humanities (DE)