Criminological Research Institute Lower Saxony

Name

Criminological Research Institute Lower Saxony

Legal name

Kriminologisches Forschungsinstitut Niedersachsen e.V.

Website

https://kfn.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Criminological Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Conference Proceedings & Research Reports Publishing (EDAGAFAL)

Keywords

• Empirical criminological research
• Victimization survey research
• Criminal justice evaluation
• Longitudinal crime studies
• Crime prevention research

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanover

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding: Basic institutional funding from the Lower Saxony Ministry for Science and Culture (Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur) as the primary funding source.
2. Third-Party Research Funding: Third-party funding for specific research projects from Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), various foundations, federal and state ministries, crime prevention councils, cities, counties and municipalities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Criminological Research Institute Lower Saxony (KFN) is an independent, non-profit research institute that conducts and disseminates interdisciplinary criminological research. It gathers evidence-based findings to develop methods and models for explaining, predicting, and controlling crime trends, and transfers these findings to the public, society, and politics through publications, events, and policy recommendations.

Product overview

The Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony (KFN) is an independent criminological research institute that does not offer commercial products but rather produces and disseminates research outputs and hosts academic events. Its portfolio includes publication series (KFN Research Reports, Journal Articles, Book Publications, KFN Statements, Selected Lectures), the peer-reviewed journal MschrKrim (Monatsschrift für Kriminologie und Strafrechtsreform), and regular event series (Kriminologisches Kolloquium, Gender & Crime Tagung, KFN-MethodLab, November der Wissenschaft). The institute conducts research through four divisions: Research Unit I (Aetiology of Deviance), Research Unit II (Victimology), Research Unit III (Institutions of Social Control), and the Methods Department. Notable ongoing projects include the Niedersachsensurvey and the Rechtszynismus in Deutschland project.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KFN Research Reports Research reports published by KFN documenting findings from criminological studies on topics including crime prevention, victimology, and institutional social control; targeted at policymakers, academics, and the broader public.
• Journal Articles Peer-reviewed academic journal articles authored by KFN researchers and published in criminology and criminal justice journals, spanning decades of research from 1981 to present.
• Book Publications Books, edited volumes, books in the Nomos series, and book contributions covering criminological research topics, produced by KFN researchers.
• KFN Statements Official position statements and policy recommendations issued by KFN on relevant criminological and criminal justice topics.
• Selected Lectures Recordings and materials from lectures presented by KFN researchers at academic conferences and events.
• MschrKrim (Monatsschrift für Kriminologie und Strafrechtsreform) The Journal of Criminology and Penal Reform, a peer-reviewed academic journal founded in 1904, with editorial leadership at KFN and publication through De Gruyter, covering research on crime and criminal justice control in German-speaking regions with increasing international scope.
• Kriminologisches Kolloquium Monthly hybrid seminar series featuring renowned scientists presenting current criminological research, established as a nationwide scientific format with both digital and in-person attendance options.
• Gender & Crime Tagung Biennial scientific conference examining the relationship between gender, crime, and criminal law, held in cooperation with the German Jurist Association and the Institute for Criminal Law at the University of Göttingen.
• KFN-MethodLab Scientific conference with methodological focus on methods and statistical procedures in criminological research, held twice yearly in autumn/winter and spring formats, including workshops on sampling, weighting, imputation, and longitudinal analysis.
• November der Wissenschaft Biennial science open house event in Hannover spanning multiple weeks with interactive and discussion formats, where KFN presents and discusses current research projects with special societal relevance.
• Research Unit I: Aetiology of Deviance Research unit exploring behavior deviating from social norms with focus on criminal behavior, examining causes of deviant behavior across individual and social levels through life-course, social change, and norm violation perspectives.
• Research Unit II: Victimology Interdisciplinary research unit examining crime and deviant behavior from victims' perspectives, studying victimization processes, coping mechanisms, and societal implications through processual and contextual approaches.
• Research Unit III: Institutions of Social Control Research unit focusing on criminal enforcement, penal and custodial measures, examining conditions for preventive effects of formal sanctions, sanction evaluation, and experiences within the criminal justice system.
• Methods Department Department addressing research methods and statistical procedures for observing, measuring, and analyzing crime phenomena, with focus areas in methodological research, data integration, documentation, and consultation.
• KFN Newsletter Quarterly newsletter providing subscribers with updates on KFN publications, events, projects, and developments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research contributions to strengthening social resilience in Lower Saxony and beyond
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Göttingen (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1979KFN works closely with the University of Göttingen through a formal cooperation agreement (Kooperationsvertrag). The agreement also extends DFG guidelines for good scientific practice to KFN researchers. The university vice president serves on KFN's Board of Trustees.
• GESIS - Leibniz Institute for Social SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner for the MethodLab training series on methods and statistics, including workshops on sampling, weighting, imputation, and longitudinal analysis with structural equation models.
• German Prevention Congress (Deutscher Präventionstag)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKFN participates in the annual German Prevention Congress; the CEO Erich Marks serves on KFN's association as a current member.
• Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice (KICJ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research exchange; KICJ delegation visited KFN in April 2026 for introductions and knowledge exchange between the institutions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB): Large non-university social science research center in Berlin, conducting interdisciplinary empirical research with mixed public/third-party funding. Comparable institutional structure and policy engagement profile to KFN at a much larger scale.
• GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences: Germany's largest infrastructure institute for the social sciences, providing methodological services, data, and survey research. Already a KFN partner on MethodLab workshops; comparable institutional model (Leibniz-funded, mixed base funding) but broader disciplinary scope.
• DIW Berlin (German Institute for Economic Research): Leading German socio-economic research institute under public/third-party funding mix. Comparable governance (member association, scientific advisory board) and policy advisory model to KFN, with much broader scale.

Direct peers

• Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR): Dutch non-university research institute dedicated to fundamental criminological research using longitudinal and quantitative methods. Closest European peer to KFN in scope, methodology, and institutional independence model.
• Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR): Scottish interdisciplinary criminology research centre hosted across Scottish universities, producing policy-relevant empirical research. Comparable model of methods-focused empirical criminology and public/policy engagement.
• Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law (MPI-CSL): Germany's flagship criminological research institute, conducting empirical and interdisciplinary research on crime, security, and law. Directly comparable to KFN in mission, methods, and national funder base, with a significantly larger research staff and budget.
• University of Cologne – Institut für Kriminologie: Leading German academic criminology institute within the University of Cologne, working on deviance, victimology, and criminal justice. Direct German peer to KFN in subject matter with a university-embedded model.
• University of Edinburgh – Criminology Group: Edinburgh's School of Law houses a leading UK criminology research cluster working on empirical, interdisciplinary crime and criminal justice studies. Directly comparable in research agenda and policy translation to KFN.
• University of Cambridge Institute of Criminology: One of Europe's leading academic criminology centres, conducting empirical research on crime and criminal justice. Comparable in publishing output, PhD training, and policy engagement to KFN's research mission.

Regional players

• Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice (KICJ): South Korea's government-affiliated criminology research institute, already engaged in research exchange with KFN. Comparable mission in evidence-based crime and justice research within a national policy context.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kfnhannover
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kriminologisches-forschungsinstitut-niedersachsen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Criminological Research Institute Lower Saxony