Mission

Digitalisation permeates all areas of life and encroaches on each individual’s day to day existence. It not only changes the way we communicate and work together, but also has an influence on social activities and the political process. For companies and employers alike, technological change has radically impacted economic development and strategic positions in an environment of global competition. The Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt) as an institute of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities contributes to a better understanding of digital transformation’s developments and challenges. Thereby we provide the foundations to shape society’s digital future responsibly, for the common good.

But how safe can private data still be today? How do practices and norms within public discourse change on the internet? And how do people and machines work together? The bidt supports outstanding international interdisciplinary research in the fields of ‘Politics and Society’, ‘Economy and Labour’ as well as ‘Media and Public Communication’. In consortium projects, researchers work together throughout Bavaria from different locations, colleges and institutions on socially relevant questions. We promote the networking and international visibility for Bavarian digitalisation research.

As a think-tank, we act as a key contact partner on central questions of digital transformation, ensuring access to insights based on scientific evidence for decision makers in politics, the economy and society, developing recommendations for implementation. We create indicators and analyses, constantly inform about current developments along with trends and reports on latest expertise through published articles.

The bidt is very much a dialogue organisation, working at the interface between research, politics, the economy and society in general. Scientific insights are made available to the public through our comprehensive editing and communicating via various channels. We promote open exchanges between research and society, offering lectures, workshops and online formats on current, relevant issues. This constant interaction makes it possible to feed questions from the centre of society directly into our research responsibilities, thus ensuring the social relevance of our work.