Leibniz research is publicly funded, so the public should benefit directly from its findings and discoveries. The Leibniz Association and its institutes present their knowledge in various different formats for a range of different target groups.

Providing scientific advice to policymakers and society

Leibniz institutes regard advising policymakers and society as one of their core tasks, so they are highly active and visible in this area. Leibniz researchers advise the Bundestag and state parliaments, federal and state ministries, associations and other organisations; they share their expertise through expert opinions, forecasts and evaluations; they identify potential courses of action, facilitating evidence-based political discourse and decision-making. The Leibniz Association has set out the principles of its research-based consulting activities in a set of guidelines (PDF).

Educational services

The institutes of the Leibniz Association also make their research knowledge available for educational purposes. The Leibniz portfolio includes low-threshold online courses for people at various different stages of life, as well as school labs and practical assistance and materials for teachers. In many cases, the Leibniz institutes work closely with other educational establishments, such as the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb), and with foundations and local initiatives.

Citizen science

Citizen science projects are a very direct way of transferring current research knowledge to the public domain. In this co-production approach, members of the public work with researchers to generate new knowledge and participate in new discoveries. Citizen science can take a number of different forms – from defining new research questions to collecting and analysing data. The Leibniz Association campaigns for citizen science in a number of different areas and plays a leading role in shaping its development.

Services offered by the Leibniz research museums

The eight Leibniz research museums have traditionally been very close to the public, so they are particularly well placed for, and skilled in, knowledge transfer. These are places where research findings are presented to the public in accessible ways; places where science and society can enter into an intensive, trust-based dialogue. As well as the activities of the individual museums, there are jointly developed transfer formats.

Contact
Christine Wennrich
Head of Division Leibniz Transfer
Leibniz Association
Chausseestraße 111
10115 Berlin
T +49 30 206049 310
wennrich@leibniz-gemeinschaft.de