From insight to impact: The NIfD is a strong partner of the German government’s High-Tech Agenda, which aims to restore Germany’s position as a leading technology nation. The scientific community is also involved in its implementation. The network’s interdisciplinary research approach systematically combines technological expertise, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence, with research in the social sciences and humanities. In this way, the institutes make a decisive contribution to the successful use of key digital technologies in society and to strengthening the digital sovereignty of Germany and Europe.
Germany needs excellent, interdisciplinary and application-oriented digitalisation research. Digitalisation has a profound impact on all areas of society. Institutes for digitalisation research examine the social consequences of digital transformation, placing people at the centre of research and innovation in the digital revolution. In doing so, they support the broad anchoring of key technologies in society and make an important contribution to the implementation of Germany's high-tech agenda.
Dorothee Bär, MdB
The network of six institutes sees itself as a strategic driving force for the
further development of digitalisation research in Germany. It develops long-term research initiatives that provide guidance for politics and society. This allows risks to be identified early on, options for action to be derived and digital systems to be further developed in a value-oriented manner.
Sustainable digitalisation can only succeed if technological excellence is combined with social responsibility, trust and interdisciplinary research from the outset. This is precisely what bidt stands for – in Bavaria and in line with the goals of the German High-Tech Agenda presented by Minister Dorothee Bär.
Prof. Dr. Ute Schmid To the profile
About the Network of Institutes for Digitalisation Research (NIfD)
Since 2021, the Network of Institutes for Digitalisation Research (NIfD) has brought together leading institutions in Germany that conduct interdisciplinary research into the social, political and technological consequences of digital transformation. The members of the network are the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG), the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt), the Centre for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS), the Hans Bredow Institute (HBI), the Weizenbaum Institute and the Centre for Responsible Digitalisation (ZEVEDI). The network strengthens cooperation, knowledge exchange and joint initiatives to make digitalisation research in Germany visible and effective.
Participating institutions of the NIfD
Policy Advisor
