DIPF

What DIPF does

DIPF | Leibniz-Institut für Bildungsforschung und Bildungsinformation is a German non-profit research institute operating as a public-law foundation (Stiftung des Öffentlichen Rechts) under the Leibniz Association, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main with an additional location in Berlin. Founded around 1950 and now employing approximately 366 staff (of whom roughly 140 are scientists), DIPF conducts empirical educational research, operates digital information and research data infrastructure, and coordinates targeted knowledge transfer for policymakers, practitioners, and the scientific community.

The institute's portfolio includes the annual national education report 'Bildung in Deutschland', coordination of Germany's PISA participation, the Deutscher Bildungsserver and Fachportal Pädagogik portals, the VerbundFDB and FDZ Bildung research data infrastructures, the Wissensgraph Bildung knowledge graph initiative, the TBA-Zentrum for technology-based assessment, the IDeA-Zentrum for child development research, and the BBF | Bibliothek für Bildungsgeschichtliche Forschung archive. Underlying technology combines knowledge graph infrastructure, technology-based assessment methods including AI-supported tools, learning analytics, and a learning-analytics cockpit in development.

DIPF is financed through institutional core funding from the Federal Republic of Germany and the states of Hesse and Berlin, supplemented by third-party project funding (notably from BMBF and Robert Bosch Stiftung). All services — databases, portals, publications, research data, and podcasts — are provided free of charge to end users, with the institute's GTM oriented toward public good rather than commercial sales. The organization reaches its audiences through its portal network, podcast series ('Sitzenbleiben'), themed dossiers, events such as the Bildungspolitisches Forum, research networks, and direct engagement with federal and state education ministries and the KMK.

Name

DIPF

Legal name

DIPF | Leibniz-Institut für Bildungsforschung und Bildungsinformation

Website

https://dipf.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

DIPF is a German publicly funded Leibniz research institute that conducts empirical educational research, operates national digital information and research data infrastructure, and coordinates knowledge transfer for policymakers, practitioners, and the scientific community across Germany's education system.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Research & Pedagogy Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conference Proceedings & Research Reports Publishing (EDAGAFAL), Education Reporting, Dashboards & Business Intelligence (BI) (EDADAIAC), Assessment, Testing & Exam Prep Publishing (MPAJABAF), Formative & Benchmark Assessment Content (K–12) (EDAGADAH)

Keywords

• Educational research services
• Research data infrastructure
• Education policy advisory
• Learning assessment technology
• Academic knowledge transfer

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Institutional Core Funding (Bund und Länder): As a Stiftung des Öffentlichen Rechts (public-law foundation) and member of the Leibniz Association, DIPF is financed by the Federal Republic of Germany and the states of Hessen and Berlin. This institutional funding covers the core operations, staff, and research activities.
2. Third-Party Project Funding (Drittmittel): DIPF receives additional project-based funding from third parties including the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research), the Robert Bosch Stiftung (e.g., Peers4Practice project), and other public and private funders for specific research initiatives.
3. Knowledge Transfer and Services (Public Good): DIPF provides free access to educational information, literature, databases, and research findings to policymakers, practitioners, and the public. Services are provided without direct charge, funded through institutional funding. Some services may include fee-based consulting or commissioned research.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

DIPF conducts empirical educational research and operates digital information and research-data infrastructure for the German education system. Its core deliverables are the annual National Education Report 'Bildung in Deutschland', coordination of Germany's PISA participation, national research-data platforms (VerbundFDB, FDZ Bildung), digital portals (Deutscher Bildungsserver, Fachportal Pädagogik), technology-based assessment (TBA) tools, and the historical BBF research library — together supporting evidence-based policy, practice, and scientific communities.

Product overview

DIPF operates as a comprehensive research and information infrastructure organization rather than a single product company. Its portfolio consists of major research centers (IDeA-Zentrum, TBA-Zentrum), digital information platforms (Deutscher Bildungsserver, Fachportal Pädagogik), research data infrastructures (Verbund Forschungsdaten Bildung, FDZ Bildung, ShaReD), knowledge tools (Wissensgraph Bildung), library and archive services (BBF, Frankfurter Forschungsbibliothek), research networks (Leibniz-Netzwerk Unterrichtsforschung), and knowledge transfer products (Sitzenbleiben podcast). These offerings work together as an integrated ecosystem supporting empirical educational research, digital infrastructure, and knowledge transfer for science, policy, and educational practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sitzenbleiben: A podcast series produced by DIPF focused on educational topics and research.

Products and services

• Bildungsbericht (Nationaler Bildungsbericht 'Bildung in Deutschland') Annual national education report providing comprehensive empirical analysis of the German education system; produced for the KMK and federal government and serving as the primary evidence base for German education policy.
• PISA-Studie Deutschland

Quantifiable outcome

• DIPF coordinates the national education report 'Bildung in Deutschland 2026' — the primary empirical evidence base for German education policy
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Leibniz-Netzwerk Unterrichtsforschung (Leibniz Network for Teaching Research)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017DIPF coordinates the Leibniz-Netzwerk Unterrichtsforschung, which brings together leading teaching quality researchers from various German-speaking institutions and disciplines (education science, pedagogical psychology, psychometrics, subject-specific didactics). The network, active since 2017, aims to bundle and optimize research efforts on teaching quality. Coordinated by Prof. Dr. Anna-Katharina Praetorius (University of Zurich), Prof. Dr. Mareike Kunter (DIPF), and Dr. Hannah Kleen (DIPF).
• Leibniz-Gemeinschaft (Leibniz Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIPF has been a member of the Leibniz Association since its founding. The Leibniz Association connects over 96 independent research institutions across Germany spanning natural, engineering, environmental, economic, social, and humanities sciences. DIPF belongs to Section A – Humanities and Educational Research. The association provides a framework for cross-institutional research collaboration and shared infrastructure standards.
• BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe BMBF provides major project-based funding (Drittmittel) for DIPF research initiatives, including a funding directive supporting 12 new scientific projects to reduce the influence of social background on educational success. DIPF coordinates the meta-project accompanying these initiatives and supports knowledge transfer. Prof. Dr. Yvonne Anders of DIPF also serves on a BMBF-appointed independent expert commission on child and youth protection in the digital world.
• Bund-Länder-Initiative 'Schule macht Stark' (SchuMaS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIPF coordinates the research network 'SchuMaS' (Schule macht stark) as part of a federal-state initiative. The program supports schools in socially challenging situations, pairing researchers with schools to develop new educational profiles. The Questenberg-Grundschule in Meißen was awarded the German School Prize 2025 through this program, demonstrating measurable impact on school development.
• Kultusministerkonferenz (KMK) / Standing Scientific Commission (SWK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIPF serves as the scientific coordinator for the annual national education report 'Bildung in Deutschland,' produced for the KMK and the federal government. DIPF's Prof. Dr. Kai Maaz is the spokesperson for the authors' group. DIPF also contributes to SWK (Ständige Wissenschaftliche Kommission) statements on educational issues, such as autism support in schools.
• Universität Zürich, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, and other university partnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIPF maintains extensive university partnerships for joint research. Key examples include: Prof. Dr. Anna-Katharina Praetorius (University of Zurich) co-coordinating the Leibniz-Netzwerk Unterrichtsforschung; Prof. Dr. Kai Maaz holding a professorship in sociology at Goethe University Frankfurt; Prof. Dr. Sabine Reh (BBF director) holding a professorship at Humboldt University Berlin; and collaborative projects with universities across Germany.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Educational Testing Service (ETS): US-based non-profit educational measurement and assessment organization operating major standardized tests (TOEFL, GRE, Praxis) and research. Comparable to DIPF's TBA-Zentrum/PISA coordination as a peer assessment and learning-measurement research organization, though operating commercially rather than as a publicly funded institute.
• Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW Berlin): Berlin-based economic research institute (Leibniz Association) producing influential policy reports and economic indicators. Comparable to DIPF as a Leibniz peer producing authoritative policy-relevant periodic reports and operating as a publicly funded think-tank/research hybrid with strong media engagement.

Direct peers

• GESIS – Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften: Mannheim/Cologne-based Leibniz Institute providing social science research data infrastructure, including data archiving, surveys, and digital information services. Closely comparable to DIPF's VerbundFDB/FDZ Bildung as a peer national social-science research data infrastructure provider serving researchers and policymakers.
• Deutsches Jugendinstitut (DJI): Munich-based social science research institute focused on childhood, youth, families, and education. Direct Leibniz peer with overlapping education research and policy advising remit, sharing audiences with DIPF around school effectiveness, child development, and equity.
• ifs – Institut für Schulentwicklungsforschung: Dortmund-based institute at TU Dortmund conducting empirical school development and education system research. Comparable to DIPF as a peer German education research institute producing large-scale empirical studies (e.g., on school quality) and translating findings to practitioners.
• GEI – Georg-Eckert-Institut Leibniz-Institut für internationale Schulbuchforschung: Braunschweig-based Leibniz Institute for international textbook research. Direct Leibniz peer with comparable mandate (education research, library/archive, knowledge transfer), with overlapping humanities and educational focus though specializing in textbook/media analysis rather than data infrastructure and reporting.
• IQB – Institut zur Qualitätsentwicklung im Bildungswesen: Berlin-based institute at Humboldt-Universität responsible for developing national educational standards and central exit exams in Germany. Comparable to DIPF as a peer education quality and assessment research organization with state-level mandate and complementary responsibilities (DIPF: reporting/research infrastructure; IQB: standards and test development).
• ZBW – Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft: Hamburg/Kiel-based Leibniz Information Centre for Economics providing EconBiz, EconStor, and ZBW Journal Data Archive. Comparable as a Leibniz peer running a major subject-specific information portal, research data archive, and Open Science infrastructure, mirroring DIPF's Fachportal Pädagogik and FDZ Bildung offerings.

Others

• OECD PISA team / Directorate for Education and Skills: International directorate administering the PISA programme that DIPF coordinates for Germany. Relevant as the upstream programme DIPF implements nationally; comparable in being a policy-relevant education assessment/research function, though supranational rather than national in scope.

Emerging players

• NCER – National Center on Education and the Economy: US-based non-profit focused on education system performance benchmarking and policy advising. Comparable to DIPF in mission (national education system analysis and policy advisory), though geographically separate and more policy-advocacy oriented than research infrastructure oriented.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/german-institute-for-international-educational-research
• Instagraminstagram.com/dipf_bildung
• Xx.com/dipf_aktuell
• Facebookfacebook.com/bildungsforschung.dipf

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about DIPF