The German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) is a renowned research institute and influential think tank. IDOS conducts empirical, theory-led and application-oriented research, facilitates transregional knowledge cooperation and training, and offers policy advice at the intersection of “development” and “sustainability”, with the aspiration to co-shape a collaborative multipolar world for sustainable futures.
Established in 1964 as the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), the Institute was renamed to German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) in 2022. IDOS’ threefold approach of research, policy advice and knowledge cooperation & training uniquely positions the institute between disciplinary, political, social and cultural boundaries. The institute takes a global partnership approach and advances transformative pathways at the science-policy-society interface.
The institute’s research programme studies the dialectic relationship between “sustainability” and “development” by placing the focus on core areas undergoing transformational change (e.g. energy, transport, conflict, agriculture and natural resources, demography, health) and the political foundations of this change. The research, organised in four research departments, is application-oriented and directed by our normative compass to find practicable pathways to and solutions for sustainable futures – the cross-cutting theme for the Institute’s collaborative research efforts.
IDOS provides independent and research-based advice to decision-makers in Germany, Europe and other countries and world regions, as well as at the global level, such as the United Nations (UN), the G7 and the G20. The Institute mobilises scientific knowledge and networks to overcome conflictual perspectives in a multipolar world and contributes to trust-building as a basis for collaboration towards sustainable futures.
IDOS runs three academies which shape dialogue processes that allow for a joint definition of problems and the envisioning, negotiating and shaping of sustainable futures, bringing together actors from different world regions, sectors and social groups. The Postgraduate Programme for Sustainability Cooperation equips graduates for demanding tasks in German and European organisations of international cooperation for sustainable development. The Managing Global Governance programme is an innovative platform providing state and non-governmental stakeholders from emerging economies and Europe with the opportunity to receive training and engage in knowledge partnerships and policy dialogue. The Shaping Futures Academy is an innovative training and dialogue programme geared to early-career researchers from African partner countries. The institute runs a dual and semi-structured PhD programme that combines a focus on both research and policy advice. Through three joint professoral positions with the Universities of Bonn and Duisburg-Essen and through collaboration with universities worldwide, IDOS, as a non-university research institute, is well-embedded in the national and global science system.
IDOS has some 200 staff members, two thirds of whom work as researchers. The Institute is headed by Prof. Dr. Anna-Katharina Hornidge. IDOS is institutionally financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, based on a resolution of the German Bundestag, and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia as a member of the Johannes Rau Research Foundation.
Board of Trustees
The members of the Board of Trustees are composed of staff members of federal and state government departments with a particular interest in the activities and of representatives of public life. Its task is to supervise the Institute's work.
Members of the International Scientific Advisory Board (IWB)
The International Scientific Advisory Board (IWB) of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) advises the IDOS team strategically on scientific orientation, conceptual and methodological implementation, international partnerships and structural developments.
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Safeguarding good scientific practice and research ethics
IDOS is committed to the highest ethical and scientific standards in all its activities.
Public Corporate Governance
The Institute's distinctive research profile combines Research, Policy Advice and Professional Training. The close link between these three areas forms a unique institutional culture that allows for excellent research/ scientific work.
History
IDOS was established in 1964 in Berlin as German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) as a non-profit-making limited liability company. Today, the Institute is one of the leading international think tanks in the field of development policy and international cooperation.
Working and Familiy Life
We run a family-oriented personnel policy to achieve a better reconciliation of family and working life.
Nachhaltigkeit am IDOS
Die Arbeit des IDOS nimmt sich dem Zusammenspiel und gegenseitigen Abhängigkeit von Entwicklung und Nachhaltigkeit an. Unsere Vision ist es, zur Gestaltung einer kooperativen, multipolaren Welt für nachhaltige Zukünfte beizutragen.