The Weizenbaum Institute for Networked Society is the German Internet Institute, a place of excellent research on the transformation and design processes of digital change. In the spirit of Joseph Weizenbaum, we research the necessary framework conditions, means and processes for individual and social self-determination in a networked society. We understand self-determination as a design principle that is central to the preservation of human dignity and democracy.
The Weizenbaum Institute is an independent, publicly financed, basic research-oriented, interdisciplinary research institute that critically questions digital change and engages in scientific inquiry in a transdisciplinary manner.
The work of the Weizenbaum Institute contributes to individual and social self-determination under the conditions of digitisation by researching, continuously developing and facilitating it for the long term.
In order to accompany the digital transformation scientifically, the Weizenbaum Institute enters an active dialogue with national and international scientists and citizens as well as actors from politics, civil society, and business.
Our aim is to work together in an inclusive and respectful way, to conduct cooperative, independent and responsible research and to communicate this in an understandable way.
The research agenda combines approaches and perspectives from economic, social, and political science, jurisprudence, informatics and design research. Social digitalisation processes are researched in a holistic way in interdisciplinary cooperation.
The Weizenbaum Institute stands for open and transparent research. We rely on the approaches of Open Data, Open Source, Open Access and Open Science methods and develop them further.
The further development of the research agenda, the execution of projects and the transfer of knowledge take place with the participatory involvement of citizens and other relevant stakeholder groups, for example in open labs, public events and Citizen Science formats.
The Weizenbaum Institute is committed in its own actions to a well-founded basic research, which is designed for a lasting gain of knowledge. The Weizenbaum Institute scientifically accompanies and supports change processes in society.
The government-funded Weizenbaum Institute is committed to the common good in the sense of the UN sustainability goals. Our decisions regarding research, administration and IT infrastructure are guided by a commitment to sustainable development, which we have defined in our sustainability strategy.
Weizenbaum-Institut e.V.