Policy advising

FIZ Karlsruhe is a member of national and international boards and committees where it strongly advocates the further development of scientific information infrastructures.

Activities of FIZ staff (selection):

Sabine Brünger-Weilandt: The President & CEO is a member of the Leibniz Association's central ombuds committee. The central ombuds committee investigates allegations of scientific misconduct against current and former employees of member institutions and, if necessary, initiates the appointment of an investigative committee in accordance with the applicable guideline. In addition, the central ombudspersons advise member institutions and their ombudspersons on all issues related to ensuring scientific integrity. Since 2022, she has held the position of Leibniz Ombudsperson representing Section D (Mathematics, Life Sciences, and Engineering). The Leibniz Ombudsperson is elected by the Senate for a term of four years on the proposal of the Presidential Board.

From 2019 to 2021, Ms. Brünger-Weilandt was able to initiate and shape the launch of the National Research Data Infrastructure as co-founding director of the association National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) e.V. In the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI), valuable data resources of science and research are systematically indexed, networked and made usable in a sustainable and qualitative way for the entire German science system. The task of the non-profit association National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) e.V., based in Karlsruhe, is to coordinate activities for the establishment of a national research data infrastructure.

From 2014 to 2022, Ms. Brünger-Weilandt was a member of the Council for Information Infrastructure, and from 2014 to 2016, its deputy founding member. The 24 honorary members of the Council represent a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines, facilities and institutions. The Council's task is to increase the transparency of developments and processes in the field of information infrastructures and to support the development and communication of German positions in European and international debates.

At the European level, Ms. Brünger-Weilandt participated in Horizon 2020 from 2013 to 2018. This was the EU's largest research and innovation program to date, with funding of almost EUR 80 billion over the seven-year period (2014 to 2020).
Prof. Dr. Harald Sack is a founder member and general secretary of the German IPv6 Council which functions as a national link to the International IPv6 Forum with the aim to promote the implementation of the new internet protocol IPv6 in Germany and to support players from industry, research, politics and administration for this purpose.
Matthias Razum is a member of the steering committee of the Schwerpunktinitiative „Digitalität in der Wissenschaft“ of the Allianz der Wissenschaftsorganisationen.
Thomas Hartmann represents the Leibniz Association in the workgroup Recht für Wissenschaft im digitalen Zeitalter of the steering committee of the Schwerpunktinitiative „Digitalität in der Wissenschaft“ of the Allianz der Wissenschaftsorganisationen. He also advocates a science-friendly copyright law in the Coalition for Action Copyright for Education and Research.