About the Weizenbaum Institute

Research for the networked society

Digitalization and networking are profoundly changing our everyday lives as well as almost all areas and systems of society. In order to better understand the connections, opportunities and risks of this fundamental transformation and to provide evidence-based guidance on design options, we need a scientifically sound perspective.

The Weizenbaum Institute conducts independent, interdisciplinary and fundamental research into the issues of a digitalized and networked society. We also conduct research into digitalization itself, test concrete solutions and promote open science and the digitalization of science. Through various orientation, networking and infrastructure services, the Weizenbaum Institute contributes to the development of interdisciplinary digitization research in Germany.

The integration of different approaches and possible solutions should make it possible to develop a holistic understanding of the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation. This is why the institute brings together experts and perspectives from fields such as social sciences, law and ethics, as well as computer science and design research. In this way, the Weizenbaum Institute can provide competent and well-founded guidance on social issues.

In a rapidly and dynamically developing digital world, it is important to address socially relevant issues in research at an early stage and to inform society about challenges, options for action and opportunities for shaping the future. This is why we are continuously developing our research topics, methods and formats in dialog with scientific and social stakeholders. In line with the guiding values of self-determination and sustainability, we are thus creating the basis for shaping digital change responsibly.

Digitalization research - in a strong network

The Weizenbaum Institute is supported by a research network from Berlin and Brandenburg, which includes Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU Berlin), Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin), Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK), Universität Potsdam (UP), as well as the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems (FOKUS) and the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB). The Weizenbaum Institute is coordinated by the Weizenbaum-Institut e.V., which is also its the legal representative.

The Weizenbaum Institute was founded in 2017 and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the State of Berlin. It was named after the German-American computer science pioneer and critic Joseph Weizenbaum.