German Council on Foreign Relations

What German Council on Foreign Relations does

German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP, legally Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik e.V.) is a Berlin-based non-profit foreign policy think tank founded in 1955, headquartered at Rauchstraße 17/18 in Berlin-Tiergarten. As Germany's premier independent, non-partisan foreign policy institute, DGAP is organized around seven specialized research centers — Europe Center; Center for Climate and Foreign Policy; Center for Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, and Technology; Center for Migration; Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia; Center for Security and Defense; and the Karl Kaiser Forum for Strategic Challenges — covering all major regions and topics in international relations. It serves German and European government officials, parliamentarians, the diplomatic community, business leaders, academics, civil society, and emerging policy professionals.

The organization produces and disseminates policy analysis through publication formats including white papers, policy briefs, memos, reports, and the International Politik quarterly journal, supplemented by the weekly DGAP Morning Briefing Zoom series, the 'Pod und die Welt' podcast, and an active presence across LinkedIn, Bluesky, X, Instagram, and YouTube. Technology is not central to the product; the platform comprises a Drupal-based website, Campaign Monitor for newsletters, Podigee for podcast distribution, Google Analytics and Tag Manager, and standard cookie-consent tooling. Customer-facing channels include public events, the Regional Forums across seven German and European locations (including Brüssel), bespoke research services, room rental, and paid training programs.

DGAP's revenue model is hybrid and characteristic of a German non-profit association. Streams include recurring personal and organizational (Fördererkreis) membership fees; donations including project-unrestricted giving, a Resilience Fund for cybersecurity, Young DGAP support, and testamentary bequests; institutional grants from foundations such as Stiftung Mercator and Robert Bosch Stiftung (notably underwriting the Think Tank Lab joint initiative with MERICS); fee-based training programs including Leadership and Management Training at €790 per participant (excluding VAT); events revenue and room rentals; and custom policy research services. Governance is member-driven under a board, with Dr. Thomas Enders serving as President, Geraldine Schroeder as Managing Director (since September 1, 2025), and Rolf Nikel as Vice President.

Name

German Council on Foreign Relations

Legal name

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik e.V.

Website

https://dgap.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) is a Berlin-based non-profit foreign policy think tank founded in 1955. It conducts policy research across seven specialized centers, publishes the International Politik quarterly and Morning Briefing, and serves German and European policymakers, business leaders, academics, and civil society.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foreign Policy Research and Advisory Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), National Security and International Affairs (9281)

SIC

International Affairs (9721), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

Keywords

• Foreign policy research
• Policy analysis think tank
• International relations research
• European security analysis
• Geopolitical advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tiergarten

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: DGAP operates membership programs including personal membership and membership in the Fördererkreis (sponsors' circle), providing recurring revenue from individual and organizational members.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization accepts project-unrestricted donations, donations for the Resilience Fund (cybersecurity), and donations for Young DGAP. Also accepts testamentary bequests and named sponsorships of research centers.
3. Foundation and Institutional Grants: DGAP receives support from foundations including Stiftung Mercator and Robert Bosch Stiftung for specific programs like the Think Tank Lab.
4. Training and Professional Development: The Think Tank Lab offers paid training programs such as the Leadership and Management Training at EUR 790 per participant.
5. Events and Conferences: DGAP generates revenue through event participation fees and room rentals for external events.
6. Research Services: DGAP offers a research service for customized policy research and analysis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

DGAP is a non-profit foreign policy think tank that produces independent policy analysis, research publications, and strategic recommendations across seven specialized research centers covering Europe, climate, geopolitics/geoeconomics/technology, migration, Eastern Europe/Russia/Central Asia, and security/defense. It delivers these insights through policy briefs, reports, memos, white papers, public events, regional forums, podcasts (Pod und die Welt, Morning Briefing), and the Internationale Politik journal, addressed to German and European government officials, business leaders, and academic experts. The organization also runs the Think Tank Lab training platform and the Karl Kaiser Forum for strategic dialogue.

Product overview

The German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) is a non-profit foreign policy think tank organized around seven specialized research centers (Europe Center, Center for Climate and Foreign Policy, Center for Geopolitics Geoeconomics and Technology, Center for Migration, Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe Russia and Central Asia, Center for Security and Defense, plus the Karl Kaiser Forum for Strategic Challenges), a joint innovation platform with MERICS called Think Tank Lab, and media output including the Morning Briefing video series and Pod und die Welt podcast. The Think Tank Lab offers training programs including Think Tank School and Leadership and Management Training. The organization produces research publications, hosts events, and provides policy analysis across topics including security, climate, migration, geopolitics, and European affairs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Think Tank Lab: A platform, learning space, and driver for innovative and impact-oriented think tank work, founded in 2021 as a joint initiative with MERICS.
• Karl Kaiser Forum for Strategic Challenges

Products and services

• Europe Center Research center addressing the most pressing issues of European order and integration through scientifically sound and politically independent analysis, serving as a platform for exchange among key stakeholders.
• Center for Climate and Foreign Policy Research center examining the intersection of climate policy and international relations, including climate migration and foreign climate policy dialogue processes.
• Center for Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, and Technology Research center covering geopolitical analysis, economic statecraft, and technology governance including AI/Democracy initiatives and critical technologies.
• Center for Migration Research center focused on migration policy, effects of migration cooperation, and external dimensions of migration policy.
• Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia Research center addressing governance, eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia including the Eastern Partnership Think Tank Network and Balkan Hub projects.
• Center for Security and Defense Research center examining German security policy transformation, European defense architecture, arms cooperation, integrated security, resilience, and defense technology for future conflict scenarios.
• Karl Kaiser Forum for Strategic Challenges High-level forum for strategic foreign policy thinking that brings together leading figures from politics, business, academia, and civil society to discuss Germany's pressing strategic challenges and derive policy recommendations.
• Think Tank Lab Platform and learning space for innovative think tank work, supporting co-creative advancement of the German think tank sector through peer learning, training opportunities, and disseminating good practices. Joint initiative of DGAP and MERICS.
• Think Tank School Training component within Think Tank Lab providing qualification opportunities for think tank personnel.
• Think Tank Leadership and Management Training Immersive training program for middle managers in think tanks covering leadership skills, team management, project orchestration, and organizational development. Costs EUR 790.00 (excl. VAT).
• DGAP Morning Briefing Weekly Thursday morning live Zoom briefing series featuring geopolitical insights with leading experts and influential guests, covering current international affairs topics.
• Pod und die Welt Audio podcast series featuring expert discussions on international relations and foreign policy topics.
• Internationale Politik Journal Prestigious quarterly journal on international relations and foreign policy published by DGAP.
• Custom Research Service Customized policy research and analysis services for clients requiring tailored foreign policy research.

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MERICS (Mercator Institute for China Studies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative partners in the Think Tank Lab, a platform for innovative think tank work. MERICS provides leadership and co-manages the program alongside DGAP. The collaboration aims to strengthen peer learning, co-creation, and exchange in the German and European think tank sector.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs): UK-based century-old international affairs think tank. Highly comparable to DGAP in mission, governance (membership-based), and business model (memberships, publications, convening) — DGAP's institutional model is closer to Chatham House than to most German-only peers.
• IWM — Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen: Vienna-based institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences with policy-facing work. Comparable to DGAP as a Central European research institute engaging with policy and public discourse on international issues, though with a more academic orientation.
• International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS): London-based think tank focused on security and defense policy. IISS is a direct competitor to DGAP's Center for Security and Defense on defense-industrial analysis, NATO policy, and transatlantic security — comparable output and audience.
• MERICS — Mercator Institute for China Studies: Berlin-based think tank focused on China and EU-China relations. MERICS is already a formal partner of DGAP via the joint Think Tank Lab initiative and is directly comparable as a German foreign policy research institute with foundation funding.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: US-headquartered global think tank with centers worldwide producing foreign policy research and convening. Comparable to DGAP in research output cadence, expert commentary presence, and convening forums (Carnegie has a Europe program operating in Berlin).
• Körber-Stiftung (Körber Foundation): Hamburg-based foundation that operates a major foreign policy program (including the Berlin foreign policy forum and Körber Network Foreign Policy). Directly comparable to DGAP as a German non-profit producing policy research, events, and convening on international affairs.
• European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR): Pan-European foreign policy think tank with offices across EU member states. ECFR is a direct competitor for European institutional advisory mandates, with overlapping coverage of migration, defense, geopolitics, and EU policy — DGAP competes with ECFR for influence in Berlin and Brussels.
• Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) — German Institute for International and Security Affairs: Germany's other leading foreign policy and security think tank, based in Berlin. SWP is the closest direct peer to DGAP — both publish policy briefs, advise the German government on foreign and security policy, and operate in the same Berlin ecosystem and funding environment.

Broad incumbents

• ifo Institut — Leibniz Institute for Economic Research: Munich-based leading German economic research institute. While primarily economics-focused, ifo overlaps with DGAP on geopolitical-economics and EU policy; it is significantly larger and serves as a benchmark for non-profit research institute scale in Germany.

Emerging players

• Stiftung Neue Verantwortung (SNV): Berlin-based think tank focused on technology policy, digital infrastructure, and geopolitics. SNV intersects with DGAP's Center for Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, and Technology on AI/democracy and critical technology governance — a smaller but directly adjacent competitor in the Berlin policy ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dgapev
• YouTubeyoutube.com/dgapev
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/german-council-on-foreign-relations
• Instagraminstagram.com/dgapev
• Facebookfacebook.com/dgapev

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about German Council on Foreign Relations