Leibniz Association

The Leibniz Association unites 96 independent research institutions that address issues of international societal importance. Leibniz Institutes conduct research, provide research infrastructures and perform research-based services (liaison, consultation, transfer) for the public, for policymakers, for academia and for businesses in Germany.

A female researcher with red goggles is working in a lab on a table that emits blue light from it's surface. She is holding a scalpel in her right hand.

Organisational details

The Leibniz Association is known for the wide range of topics addressed by its member institutes. It has a decentralised organisational structure. Each research institution is legally and financially independent and autonomously determines its research programme.

Leibniz Institutes collaborate in Leibniz Research Alliances that bring together interdisciplinary expertise to address topics of societal relevance. They also cooperate intensively with universities – in the form of Leibniz ScienceCampi – as well as with industry and other partners at home and abroad.

All Leibniz Institutes are subject to an independent evaluation procedure that is unparalleled in its transparency. Due to the importance of the institutions for the German research landscape, they are funded jointly by the Federal Government and the German states (Länder).

Facts and figures

96 independent institutes

Approx. 21,000 staff in total, including 12,000 researchers (2023)

Roughly 2,900 PhD students and 2,600 postdocs (2023)

Annual budget: approx. 2.2 billion euros (2023)

Research activities

Leibniz research institutes cover virtually all fields of academic research, ranging from the humanities and social sciences and economics through spatial and life sciences to mathematics, natural sciences, engineering and environmental research.

One of the main emphases of the Leibniz Association is knowledge transfer. This includes advising and informing representatives of politics, science, business and the general public in Germany. Leibniz Institutes are concerned with basic research, applied research and research infrastructures.

International cooperation

Leibniz Institutes have a firm place in top national and international research. Leibniz researchers cooperate with research institutions across the globe and constantly develop their collaborative partnerships.

Leibniz Institutes are involved in 7,300 international collaborations in more than 140 different countries. In addition, a number of Leibniz Institutes have established partner sites and maintain several field research stations abroad.

Budget

The budget totals over 2.2 billion euros (2023).

Of this amount, almost 1.4 billion euros was attributable to institutional funding from the Federal Government and the German states (Länder). Third-party funding amounts to 613 million euros.

Useful links

Jobs at the Leibniz Association

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Leibniz Association

Berlin Office

Chausseestraße 111
10115 Berlin

+49 30 206049-100

www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de/en/