Established in 1964 as the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), the Institute was renamed the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) in 2022. It conducts independent applied research to the highest standards of excellence and delivers scientific policy advice with a view to shaping a sustainable future.
IDOS’ research activities are organised into four programmes and three cross-cutting projects. Through this work, the Institute contributes to finding answers to global questions affecting our future. These include: the sustainable redesign of economic and social systems and international climate, biodiversity, water and ocean governance; the role of transnational and multi-, tri- and bilateral cooperation formats and institutional landscapes; the protection and promotion of democracy, peace and social cohesion, and the part played by the research community and transregional knowledge partnerships in furthering the global common good.
IDOS provides politically independent advisory services based on sound research. These services are aimed at public institutions and non-governmental organisations in Germany and at European and international level. IDOS works at cross-border and transdisciplinary level and within networks to pool global discourses in the field of international policy and cooperation for sustainable development, draft policy-related concepts and create shared knowledge for tackling global challenges.
The Institute runs a structured doctoral programme to develop early-career researchers. As a non-university institution, IDOS works with a range of universities in Germany and internationally. The Institute also trains managers for international cooperation. The nine-month Postgraduate Training Programme at IDOS equips graduates to take on demanding tasks in the field of development policy. The Managing Global Governance programme is an innovative platform providing state and non-governmental stakeholders from emerging economies and Europe with the opportunity to receive training and engage in knowledge partnerships and policy dialogue. BMZ’s African-German Leadership Academy is an innovative training and dialogue programme geared to early-career researchers from African partner countries.
IDOS has some 200 staff members, two thirds of whom work as researchers. The Institute is headed by Prof. Anna-Katharina Hornidge. IDOS is a member of the Johannes Rau Society.
The research and work of IDOS mainly contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, and 17:
