Institute for Regional and Urban Development Research

What Institute for Regional and Urban Development Research does

ILS (Institut für Landes- und Stadtentwicklungsforschung) is a non-profit research institute headquartered in Dortmund, Germany, operating as a gGmbH (limited liability non-profit) wholly owned by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Founded in 1971 and re-established in its current legal form in 2008, ILS conducts applied basic research on the development and transformation of urban spaces and mobilities. Its work is organized into three research groups — Spatial Planning and Urban Design, Mobility and Space, and Urban Social Space — supported by a Geoinformation and Monitoring (GuM) unit that develops spatial analysis and urban monitoring methods.

The institute's core outputs are knowledge-transfer products rather than commercial goods. These include four publication series (ILS-JOURNAL, ILS-TRENDS, ILS-IMPULSE, ILS-Working Paper), the '5 Minuten Stadtforschung' video podcast, and a portfolio of interactive mapping and monitoring tools such as ILS-Monitoring StadtRegionen, the Incora Dashboard, the Schattenkarte 3D shadow map, and OS-WALK-EU. All publications and tools are provided free of charge under an open-access model. Distribution relies on direct engagement with municipalities and policymakers (e.g., Forum Stadtbaukultur, Wohnen macht Stadt), academic partnerships (TU Dortmund, RWTH Aachen, RUB, University of Münster, University of Bonn), and networks including Leibniz R and the Johannes-Rau-Forschungsgemeinschaft.

ILS is funded through a dual structure: the parent institute receives institutional funding from Land NRW, while the wholly-owned subsidiary ILS Research gGmbH — established in January 2022 — administers third-party funded projects from federal ministries (BMBF, BMEL), EU research programs, and other public funders. The institute currently has 51-100 employees and is in a leadership transition, with Ralf Zimmer-Hegmann serving as interim scientific director and managing director since 2023 while a W3 professorship / Scientific Director is jointly recruited with TU Dortmund.

Name

Institute for Regional and Urban Development Research

Legal name

Institut für Landes- und Stadtentwicklungsforschung

Website

https://www.ils-forschung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ILS is a research institute that studies the development and transformation of urban spaces and mobilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dortmund

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Funding (Land NRW): As a gGmbH (non-profit limited company) wholly owned by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the institute receives public institutional funding.
2. Third-Party Funding / Drittmittel: The ILS Research gGmbH subsidiary handles third-party funded research projects from federal ministries (BMBF, BMEL), EU research programs, and other public funding bodies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ILS conducts applied interdisciplinary research on urban transformation, mobility, social-spatial inequalities, and geoinformation. It provides evidence-based policy advice to public administrations, publishes open-access research outputs (ILS-JOURNAL, ILS-TRENDS, ILS-IMPULSE, ILS-Working Paper), produces a video podcast (5 Minuten Stadtforschung), and operates interactive spatial monitoring tools (ILS-Monitoring StadtRegionen, Incora Dashboard, Schattenkarte, OS-WALK-EU). The institute is funded by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and handles third-party funded research projects via its subsidiary ILS Research gGmbH.

Product overview

ILS (Institut für Landes- und Stadtentwicklungsforschung) is an extramural urban research institute organized as a non-profit GmbH (limited liability company) with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia as its sole shareholder. The institute operates as a research organization rather than a commercial product company, offering a portfolio of knowledge transfer publications and interactive web tools. The core offering consists of several publication series (ILS-JOURNAL, ILS-TRENDS, ILS-IMPULSE, ILS-Working Paper) that disseminate research findings, alongside a video podcast (5 Minuten Stadtforschung). The institute also provides interactive mapping and monitoring tools including ILS-Monitoring StadtRegionen, Incora Dashboard, Schattenkarte, and OS-WALK-EU for spatial data visualization. Additionally, ILS operates a professional forum (Wohnen macht Stadt) for practitioners in urban development, maintains a research library, and conducts applied basic research across three focus areas aligned with its 2025+ research strategy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ILS-JOURNAL A triannual print and online publication covering news from ILS research, project results, publications, events, and current developments. Distributed free of charge to practitioners, policymakers, and the general public.
• ILS-TRENDS A publication series appearing multiple times per year that provides practice-oriented presentations of selected ILS project results. Includes an annual TRENDS extra edition featuring research results from the Geoinformation and Monitoring area.
• ILS-IMPULSE A publication series appearing multiple times per year where ILS scientists take positions on current societal topics and their relevance for urban and regional research, prepared concisely for decision-makers.
• ILS-Working Paper A publication series presenting current research results for scientific discussion within the academic community.
• 5 Minuten Stadtforschung (5 Minutes of Urban Research) A regular video podcast series providing insights into ILS research topics and projects, where scientists present research results, web-based applications, and scientific publications.
• ILS-Monitoring StadtRegionen An interactive web-based monitoring tool for city regions providing spatial data and analysis on urban development indicators.
• Incora Dashboard An interactive web dashboard for land use analysis and monitoring.
• Incora Storymap A storymap presentation tool for visualizing land use and spatial research findings.
• Schattenkarte (Shadow Map) An interactive 3D shadow mapping tool for urban analysis related to climate adaptation.
• OS-WALK-EU An interactive map tool presenting walkability research results for European cities.
• Fachforum Wohnen macht Stadt A professional forum supporting dialogue and exchange among actors in urban development and housing policy/economics.
• ILS-Bibliothek (ILS Library) The institute's library open to external visitors and ILS staff, providing access to academic literature and resources for urban and regional research.
• Commissioned and Third-Party Funded Research Projects Applied basic research services commissioned by public funders including German federal ministries (BMBF, BMEL), EU research programs, and other public funding bodies, managed through ILS Research gGmbH.
• Forum Stadtbaukultur and Städtebauliches Kolloquium Recurring event series (Forum Stadtbaukultur and Städtebauliches Kolloquium) that bring ILS researchers together with practitioners and policymakers on urban design, spatial planning, and urban development topics.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ILS Research gGmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Non-profit subsidiary company established in January 2022 to handle third-party funded research projects. Operates as a 'Gemeinschaftsbetrieb' (joint enterprise) with the parent ILS, working programmatically and organizationally closely together.
• Johannes-Rau-ForschungsgemeinschaftcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014ILS is a founding member of the Johannes Rau Research Foundation, which represents NRW research institutions and promotes joint research initiatives.
• Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität BonnminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Cooperation agreement signed in 2013 for academic collaboration.
• Leibniz R – Räumliches Wissen für Gesellschaft und UmweltcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012ILS is a co-founder of the Leibniz R research network (formerly 5-R-Network), which focuses on spatial knowledge for society and the environment. Leibniz R is a research network of the Leibniz Association.
• Stadt DortmundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Tripartite cooperation agreement since 2009 between Stadt Dortmund, TU Dortmund, and ILS. Example collaboration: Forum Stadtbaukultur, jointly organized annually.
• RWTH AachencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Cooperation agreement since 2006, joint hosting of 'Städtebauliches Kolloquium' events and collaborative research projects.
• Ruhr-Universität BochumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Cooperation agreement signed in 2005 for joint research activities.
• Universität MünsterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Cooperation agreement signed in 2004 for collaborative research and academic exchange.
• Technische Universität DortmundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Cooperation agreement with TU Dortmund (2003) for joint research and teaching. Currently jointly advertising W3 professorship position for Scientific Director.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Leibniz-Institut für ökologische Raumentwicklung (IÖR): Leibniz research institute in Dresden conducting applied research on sustainable spatial and urban development. Directly comparable as a German non-university research institute with overlapping themes (settlement development, monitoring, spatial analysis) and similar funding structure (institutional + third-party).
• Leibniz-Institut für Raumbezogene Sozialforschung (IRS): Leibniz institute in Erkner focused on spatial social research and urban transformation in the Berlin-Brandenburg region. Closely comparable mandate (urban change, social-spatial inequality) and similar non-university research status within the Leibniz Association.
• Deutsches Institut für Urbanistik (Difu): Berlin-based research and transfer institute for municipalities, conducting applied urban research with a comparable client base (German cities and municipalities). Direct competitor in the policy-advisory market for German urban development.
• Akademie für Raumentwicklung in der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft (ARL): Leibniz Academy for Territorial Development in Hannover, focused on research and knowledge transfer on spatial planning and development. Overlapping mandate in policy advice, networks, and applied research for German spatial planning.

Broad incumbents

• Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung (BBSR): Federal government research institute under the German Ministry of Building, providing policy advice and research on urban, building, and spatial development. Larger and broader scope than ILS, but overlapping research portfolio and government advisory function.
• Fraunhofer-Institut für Arbeitswirtschaft und Organisation (IAO): Large Fraunhofer applied research institute covering urban production, mobility, and smart city themes. Comparable applied research orientation but broader portfolio across industries and a much larger overall scale.

Emerging players

• Technische Universität Dortmund – Fakultät Raumplanung: TU Dortmund's Faculty of Spatial Planning is a long-standing cooperation partner of ILS with overlapping research and teaching on urban and regional planning. Comparable academic portfolio though education-focused rather than institute-based.
• Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie: German applied research institute focused on sustainability, climate, and energy transitions with significant urban and mobility research. Comparable applied-research model and policy-advisory function, with partial thematic overlap on sustainable urban development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ils_forschung
• YouTubevimeo.com/ilsforschung
• Facebookfacebook.com/ilsforschung
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ils-forschung
• Instagraminstagram.com/stadt_land_forschung

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute for Regional and Urban Development Research