ZEW Admitted to Leibniz Association

On the occasion of the annual meeting of the Leibniz Association, the Centre for European Economic Research GmbH (ZEW) in Mannheim was admitted as a new member.

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Wolfgang Franz, ZEW President and member of the German Council of Economic Experts, declares that "this represents yet another acknowledgement of the excellent work at ZEW in the past years and emphasises once again that ZEW’s establishment as a leading research institute in the field of economics".

The ZEW’s admission to the Leibniz Association was based on the premise of a prior resolution of the Bund-Länder-Commission for Educational Planning and Research Promotion to include ZEW in the joint research funding programme of the Federal Government and the Länder on January 1, 2005. The resolution followed a recommendation by the Science Council in 1999 based on the excellent evaluation of ZEW’s research and counselling.

As of 2005, 84 research institutes and service facilities across Germany are thus part of the Leibniz Association. All institutes of the Leibniz Association are funded jointly by the Federal Government and the Länder as a result of their supraregional importance and their future-oriented work in the interest of national science policy. The wide-ranging tasks of the institutes include space and economics, social sciences, natural and environmental sciences as well as engineering. In addition to mere research institutes, the Leibniz Association also includes service facilities for research and museums with attached research departments.

On the presentation of ZEW at the annual meeting of the Leibniz Association, ZEW's Director of Business and Administration, Thomas Kohl, said: "With their decision to include ZEW, the Leibniz Association gains a member institute, which has developed into one of the largest economic research institutes in Germany since its foundation in 1990. Due to its scientific reputation it has become a competent discussion and cooperation partner for universities and non-university research institutes as well as a sought-after consultant in the field of economic policy and business." As a competence centre for applied empirical economic research, the research institute distinguished itself particularly by addressing internationally comparable issues in a European context and by compiling scientifically important databases. To name but a few: The Mannheim Enterprise Panel, the KfW/ZEW Start-up Panels, the Mannheim Innovation Panel, the European Tax Analyzer or the ZEW Financial Market Survey.

Besides engaging in research and policy counselling, ZEW also has a special focus on knowledge transfer into practice. Knowledge transfer is not only provided by public relations and a series of publications but also by a department which exclusively focuses on qualification programmes. Each year the department offers professionals and managers from enterprises, organisations, and authorities a variety of seminars provided by ZEW scientists, often together with experts from practice. Thus, ZEW makes an important contribution to knowledge transfer from research to economy, policy, and society.

Contact

Thomas Kohl, Phone: +49(0)621/1235-111, E-mail: kohl@zew.de