Compliance and Integrity

Our goals in applying the Public Corporate Governance Code

By applying the Public Corporate Governance Code of the Federal Government and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, IDOS is pursuing the goal of continuing to ensure the balanced interaction of the four important bodies - the shareholders, management, Board of Trustees and the International Scientific Advisory Board newly constituted in February 2023 - within the framework of the regulations set out therein, while supporting the concerns of both codes, giving the management the necessary freedom of action, clarifying the function of the shareholders and defining the framework for the Board of Trustees as a supervisory body.

Whistleblower Protection

Open and legally compliant reporting channels are an important part of a responsible organisational culture. Reports of potential legal breaches or other irregularities help to identify risks at an early stage, counteract undesirable developments and ensure compliance with legal and institutional standards. At the same time, whistleblowers make a valuable contribution to an organisation’s transparency and integrity.

IDOS therefore promotes a culture in which reports of potential breaches can be made without fear of reprisals. Following the entry into force of the Whistleblower Protection Act ("Hinweisgeberschutz" (HinSchG)), the Institute has implemented the necessary organisational measures and set up an internal reporting office. This office receives reports confidentially, investigates them independently and oversees their further processing in accordance with the legal requirements.

Employees and external individuals may contact the internal reporting office in the event of suspected cases or reports of misconduct. The Whistleblower Protection Act guarantees the protection of individuals who report information about relevant breaches in good faith. In addition to the areas of reporting specified by law, general instances of misconduct may also be brought to the attention of the reporting office. Reports of scientific misconduct or suspected corruption are handled separately by the designated contact points for these matters. Furthermore, whistleblowers are free to contact the external reporting office of the Federal Office of Justice as an alternative.

Corruption prevention

Corruption erodes decision-making structures, encourages interest-driven behaviour beyond the institutional mandate of an institution, thus weakening the performance and quality of the products produced and damaging the reputation of each affected institution. Corruption inevitably leads to a loss of trust both among its own staff, partners and the public.

The IDOS team - its management levels as well as the entire staff - thus take up the challenge to protect themselves against corruption with all means at their disposal and to raise the staff’s awareness for this issue accordingly.

Against this background, IDOS has appointed a contact person who is in charge of the consistent implementation of the " Federal Government Directive Concerning the Prevention of Corruption in the Federal Administration" of 30 July 2004 and is available to employees for advice and information on the topic of corruption prevention. In addition to employees, citizens can also contact the anti-corruption commissioner with questions or information on possible suspicions of corruption.

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