Digitalisation permeates all areas of life

Digital technologies affect each individual’s day-to-day existence. They not only alter the way we communicate and work together, but also influence social interactions and political processes. For companies and employers, technological change has far-reaching implications for their business development and competitiveness on a global scale.

As an institute of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt) contributes to a better understanding of the developments and challenges in digital transformation. In doing so, we lay the foundations to shape the digital future in dialogue with society responsibly and for the common good.

We conduct interdisciplinary research and provide science-based information and advice for central developments in digital transformation in Bavaria, Germany and Europe. We pay particular attention to perspectives from the technology and business sectors. We are committed to shaping the digital transformation. In order to achieve this, we foster regular dialogue between science, business, politics and civil society.

Our research is internationally recognised. We integrate digitalisation research in Bavaria and connect it both on a national level and with the global scientific community.

The institute at a glance

We examine the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation

How does social media change public discourse? What impact does China’s social credit system have on German companies? And how do humans and machines work together? The bidt supports internationally outstanding research in the areas of “Government, Regulation and Infrastructure”, “Communication, Society and Participation”, and “Economy and Labour”, as well as the research focus “Humans and Generative Artificial Intelligence: Trust in Co-Creation”.

Researchers from various disciplines, universities and institutions across Bavaria work together in consortium projects on socially relevant issues. In internal projects, scientists at the bidt also conduct research on current challenges of digital transformation.

We give a fact-based picture of digital transformation

The bidt think tank provides decision-makers in politics, the economy, and society with scientific evidence and up-to-date data and analyses.

The team aggregates studies and essential indicators of digitalisation. Continuous monitoring and benchmarking of the digital transformation allow the bidt to track changes and trends in Germany and draw international comparisons.

We are a dialogue organisation

The bidt defines itself as an interface between the academic, economic, political and social spheres. Scientific findings are made accessible to the public via various channels, presented in a comprehensible way.

The bidt promotes open dialogue between research and society and organises events and lectures on relevant topics. This constant, reciprocal interaction allows questions from within society to be fed back into our research, thus ensuring the social relevance of the work at the bidt.

More about the bidt