IASS

What IASS does

IASS operates under its current legal name Forschungsinstitut für Nachhaltigkeit (RIFS) — the Research Institute for Sustainability — and is a privately organized, publicly funded nonprofit research institute headquartered at GFZ Helmholtz Zentrum Potsdam in Germany. The institute conducts transdisciplinary research across three thematic areas: sustainability transformations and society, transformation of human-environment interactions, and the advancement of transdisciplinarity and co-creation methodologies. Core research outputs include academic publications, thematic dossiers, policy briefs, and a Blog, alongside operational programs such as the Fellow-Programm (with Planetary-Transitions-Fellowships for artists and Affiliate Scholar appointments) and event series including the Arctic Dialogue (27th edition co-hosted with the Sámi Council in 2026).

Name

IASS

Legal name

Forschungsinstitut für Nachhaltigkeit

Website

https://iass-potsdam.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

IASS (RIFS) is a publicly funded German research institute in Potsdam conducting transdisciplinary sustainability research, serving policymakers, academics, and civil society through publications, policy recommendations, fellowship programs, and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Potsdam

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 Research Funding: As part of the Helmholtz Association, the institute receives core funding from the German federal government. Additional project funding comes from German federal ministries, the European Union, and other research funding bodies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IASS (operating as Forschungsinstitut für Nachhaltigkeit / RIFS) is a publicly funded research institute that conducts transdisciplinary research on sustainability transformations and society, transformation of human-environment interactions, and the advancement of transdisciplinarity and co-creation. The institute produces academic publications, thematic dossiers, and policy recommendations, while running research programs including the Fellow-Program and projects such as Net4Cities for European cities addressing traffic-related air pollution.

Product overview

IASS (Forschungsinstitut für Nachhaltigkeit / Research Institute for Sustainability) is a research institution focused on understanding and advancing societal transformation towards sustainability. Rather than a commercial product company, IASS produces research outputs and manages programs including: Publications (Publikationen) for academic research dissemination; thematic Dossiers providing in-depth analysis on sustainability topics; a Blog for current commentary; and a Fellowship Program hosting researchers. The institute conducts research across three thematic areas: sustainability transformations and society, transformation of human-environment interactions, and advancement of transdisciplinarity and co-creation. Projects like Net4Cities and events like the Arctic Dialogue support specific research initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Publications (Publikationen) Academic publications, studies, and research papers produced by IASS researchers covering sustainability topics including climate change, ocean governance, systemic risks, and transformation processes, made available through open access.
• Dossiers In-depth thematic collections synthesizing research on topics such as marine environment protection, air pollution and climate change, biodiversity, climate engineering, citizens' councils, systemic risks, and sustainability in Brandenburg and Brazil.
• Fellow-Programm (Fellowship Program) Fellowship program hosting researchers including Planetary-Transitions Fellows, providing opportunities for interdisciplinary sustainability research and artistic engagement with planetary transitions at the institute.
• Net4Cities Project EU-funded project helping European cities combat traffic-related air pollution and noise using innovative monitoring and modeling methods for cleaner, healthier urban environments.
• Arctic Dialogue Annual dialogue series bringing together stakeholders to discuss Arctic issues; in 2026, the 27th Arctic Dialogue was held in collaboration with the Sámi Council focusing on decolonization in Arctic governance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Net4Cities project helps European cities combat traffic-related air pollution and noise through innovative monitoring and modeling methods
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Sámi CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaborative partnership for the Arctic Dialogue series. In 2026, the 27th Arctic Dialogue was co-hosted with the Sámi Council, focusing on decolonization in Arctic governance and negotiation processes.
• GFZ Helmholtz Zentrum PotsdamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRIFS is institutionally hosted at the GFZ (German Research Centre for Geosciences) in Potsdam. This co-location enables interdisciplinary research collaboration and shared infrastructure between the two Helmholtz Association centres.
• Helmholtz Association of German Research CentrescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRIFS operates as one of 18 research centres in the Helmholtz Association, Germany's largest scientific organization. The association provides core funding and facilitates large-scale research collaboration across disciplines.
• United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRIFS research groups monitor and analyze UN negotiations on environmental topics including the international agreement against plastic pollution in marine environments and the UN Ocean Agreement for biodiversity protection.
• Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRIFS researcher Dr. Maheswar Rupakheti received CAS Distinguished Scientist Fellowship through the CAS-PIFI program, recognizing outstanding scientific achievements and enabling research collaboration.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI): German applied research institute studying innovation systems and sustainability transitions. Comparable in publicly funded German research context and focus on transformation research.
• Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI): Independent international research organization focused on environment and development policy. Comparable in mission (transdisciplinary sustainability research), funding model (mix of public and grant funding), and policy advisory orientation.
• Stockholm Resilience Centre: Research centre focused on social-ecological systems, resilience, and sustainability transformations. Comparable in transdisciplinary research approach and focus on transformation processes.
• Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK): Also located in Potsdam, PIK is a member of the Leibniz Association conducting research on climate impacts and sustainability. Directly comparable as a publicly funded sustainability/climate research institute with strong policy engagement.
• Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC): Berlin-based sustainability research institute applying economic and social science methods to climate governance. Highly comparable to RIFS in research methodology (governance, systemic risks) and German institutional positioning.
• Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ): One of the 18 Helmholtz Association centres, focused on environmental research. Comparable as a fellow Helmholtz member with publicly funded environmental/sustainability research mandate.
• International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD): Canadian-based independent research organization working on sustainable development policy. Comparable in operating model (policy-focused research institute with international mandate) and research domains (sustainability governance).
• Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy: German sustainability research institute focused on transformation research, climate, and energy transition policy. Highly comparable to RIFS in scope (transdisciplinary sustainability research), funding model (publicly funded think tank), and policy engagement orientation.
• German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS, formerly DIE): German think tank conducting research on sustainable development and global transformation. Comparable in public funding model, policy advisory focus, and transdisciplinary sustainability research approach.

Regional players

• IDDRI - Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations: Paris-based independent sustainability think tank. Comparable in mission and research methodology but primarily serves French/European policy audiences rather than German federal government directly.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IASS_Potsdam
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@rifspotsdammedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iass-potsdam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IASS