About us

By “information infrastructure” we mean the entire set of content, technologies, methods, processes, and associated services that make it possible to generate, distribute, and maintain knowledge. The information infrastructure is part of the research infrastructure; it is becoming increasingly important in the course of the digital transformation of science.

Our public mission is to provide scientists and researchers all over the globe with scientific information, to develop the appropriate products and services, and to conduct applied research. Accordingly, we are dedicated to strengthening knowledge transfer in Germany and abroad, fostering innovation, and supporting collaboration in science and research.

FIZ Karlsruhe – Leibniz Institute for Information Infrastructure is committed to the basic principles of sustainability: the responsible treatment of employees and material resources. In this sense, we manage our institute and company in accordance with the recommendations of the PCGK (section 5.5). We have been applying the Public Corporate Governance Code (PCGK) of the German federal government since 2010. It contains the most important provisions in accordance with internationally and nationally recognized standards of good and responsible, and thus also sustainable, corporate governance. Once a year, the Supervisory Board and the Management jointly submit the Corporate Governance Report.

Our guiding principles:

• Sustainability in organizational development: sustainable development, i.e. development that is effective in the longer term, in structures, procedures and control processes
• Sustainability in research and development processes: We research, develop and operate methods, processes and services for a sustainable information infrastructure. We treat the environment and its resources with care.
• Sustainability of human resources management: equal opportunities, appreciation of diversity, and compatibility of work and caring responsibilities.
• Sustainability management in the operation of buildings and infrastructures as well as with regard to procurement and mobility.

FIZ Karlsruhe - We follow sustainable paths
As an institute of the Leibniz Association, we are guided by the Leibniz Association's guiding principle of sustainability and have anchored the topic of sustainability in our mission statement.

An important step towards sustainable corporate development was realized with the company agreement "Future Work". Employees have the option of working up to 80 percent of their working hours on a mobile basis. In this way, we promote and support the compatibility of work, family, and caring duties, and at the same time contribute to reducing environmentally harmful emissions caused by commuting to work. Since 2016, FIZ Karlsruhe has been certified by the "berufundfamilie" audit.

The topic of "sustainability management in the operation of buildings and infrastructures, procurement, and mobility" continues to accompany us: In 2022, we fundamentally revised our procurement regulations and expanded them to include important sustainability aspects. We have also developed further in terms of mobility and since 2022 have offered the option of leasing bicycles via FIZ Karlsruhe.

Sustainability Officer
FIZ Karlsruhe has created the function of a sustainability officer in its organizational structure as of January 1, 2023, and has established a separate position in the management staff for this purpose. The sustainability officer will develop a sustainability concept tailored to FIZ Karlsruhe and develop and continuously support the corresponding strategy for implementation in everyday work. Internally, she will act as the central contact person on the subject of sustainability and will be responsible for sustainability reporting at the corporate level.

The goal is to firmly anchor the idea of sustainability at FIZ Karlsruhe and to establish it as a decisive decision-making criterion in all processes and projects.

FIZ Karlsruhe – Leibniz Institute for Information Infrastructure has anchored integrity as a value in its mission statement. As a scientifically working institution, we consider scientific integrity and good scientific practice  a responsibility of both our institute and all our employees - and we undertake to comply with the corresponding standards. Our guideline is intended as an institute-specific specification of the "Leibniz Code of Good Scientific Practice" and the "Guideline for Good Scientific Practice within the Leibniz Association".

PDF version of our standards of good scientific practice

On 19th June 2023 Dr. Diana Dimitrova was elected as ombudsperson, Dr. Heike Fliegl as her deputy. 

Open Access stands for unrestricted and free access to quality-assured scientific information on the Internet. By removing technical, financial and legal barriers, Open Access helps to accelerate scientific innovation processes and improve the visibility of research results.

We encourage our scientists to publish research results in accordance with the Open Access principle.

Complete PDF version of our Open Access Policy – status August 2021

Research data are data generated in the course of scientific projects, e.g., through observations, experiments, simulations, surveys, interviews, source research, recordings, digitization, evaluations. Algorithms and (research) software are also included. Research data management begins with the planning of a project and ends only after the deletion of the data after an appropriate holding period.

Where legally and ethically possible, research data should be published in suitable repositories and offered for subsequent use for reasons of transparency, traceability, and connectivity of research. FIZ Karlsruhe supports the FAIR and CARE principles in this regard.

PDF version of our complete Research Data Policy, as of August 2022

Corruption can cause considerable financial and intangible damage in companies and public institutions alike. This is hardly measurable and has a major impact. Preventing and combating corruption is therefore a high priority. The federal government's "Public Corporate Governance Code" (PCGK) emphasizes the prevention of corruption as a central task of management. The application of the PCGK is stipulated in the articles of association of FIZ Karlsruhe.

Since June 2013, FIZ Karlsruhe has had its own anti-corruption guideline. It is the basis for the protection and sensitization of all employees and at the same time a guide to action and assistance in combating corruption. An anti-corruption officer was already appointed as a central contact in April 2012.

Our anti-corruption policy as of May 2023 (PDF)