ifo Institute Delighted to Receive Top Score from Leibniz Association
The ifo Institute welcomes the positive results of the Leibniz Association evaluation. “This is an acknowledgement of our achievements over the past few years. At the same time, it encourages us to further intensify our commitment to application-oriented economic research. The current crisis underlines the importance of scientifically founded advice for politics and society,” says ifo President Clemens Fuest in Munich. “My thanks go to all employees of the ifo Institute for their extraordinary commitment.”
Of ifo’s nine working areas, two were rated “excellent,” four were rated “very good,” two were deemed “good to very good,” and one “good.” Joint funding of the ifo Institute through the federal and state governments is thus assured for the next seven years. The Leibniz Association Senate highlighted ifo’s close cooperation with LMU and its strong networks at the international level, especially through EconPol and CESifo GmbH.
In its evaluation, the Leibniz Association praised the linking of research with scientific advice to politics and society. “The ifo Institute has achieved consistently high performance for a long time. Its research work is reflected in its superb publication track record,” the Leibniz Association Senate stated. “The institute performs its tasks in political consulting with excellence.”
The Leibniz Association Senate also emphasized the achievements of the new Executive Board, which has done an outstanding job of balancing change and continuity at the institute: “ifo has been remarkably successful in filling these key positions.”
ifo successfully implemented the Senate’s recommendation from its previous evaluation, the continued promotion of gender equality. Nevertheless, the Senate feels that ifo needs to do significantly more to accomplish this in management positions. Fuest is following up on this recommendation and reports that the next steps are already planned. “We have set clear goals and will consistently pursue them both in recruitment and in supporting the professional development of female scientists,” he says.
The Leibniz Association connects 96 independent research institutions. Their focus ranges from the natural, engineering, and environmental sciences to economics, spatial, and social sciences and the humanities. The research and scientific infrastructure institutions that have joined forces in the Leibniz Association are jointly funded by the German federal government and the Länder. Reviews are conducted every seven years to determine whether the conditions for joint funding of a Leibniz institution are still being fulfilled. These reviews are based on an independent evaluation by the Leibniz Association Senate, which is supported by the Senate Evaluation Committee and temporarily appointed expert groups.
The complete statement of the Leibniz Association Senate can be found here.
