Deutsches Institut für Forschungskommunikation

What Deutsches Institut für Forschungskommunikation does

Deutsches Institut für Forschungskommunikation (DIF), a Munich-based GmbH founded in 2021, is a premium training and strategic advisory institute serving scientific and research-oriented institutions in the German-speaking market. It offers media training, presentation coaching, crisis communication, resilience workshops, GEO/AI training, and full communication concept development, delivered by a network of 20+ trainers and coaches with backgrounds in science journalism (e.g., former FOCUS editor Gunther Schnatmann), science PR (Thorsten Hebes, ex-Serviceplan PR), and broadcast media, under the direction of co-Managing Directors Dr. Ralf Schneider and Gunther Schnatmann.

The company's core product portfolio is human-expertise-led professional services, supplemented by SciRENA (Science Relevance Navigator), a proprietary panel-based measurement tool that quantifies the reputation and communication effectiveness of research institutions among policymakers, multipliers, and third-party funders. DIF is the executing partner of Campus2Public, a Bavarian Parliament-funded pilot to train researchers at Bavarian Hochschulen für Angewandte Wissenschaft, with TH Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm and TH Würzburg-Schweinfurt as inaugural partners.

DIF operates a purely consultative, sales-led go-to-market: clients are acquired via direct outreach and inbound inquiries, engagements are individually scoped and priced (no public rates), billing is per project or per module with multi-year contract options, and delivery occurs in-person, online, or hybrid. Reference clients span federal ministries, major German research associations (Fraunhofer, Max-Planck, Helmholtz, DLR), leading universities (TUM, LMU), hospitals (Robert Koch-Institut, Uniklinikum Regensburg, Klinikum Aachen), and research-intensive corporates (Carl Zeiss AG, Cisco). Marketing relies on content, earned media through trainer profiles, industry events, and referral within the German science communication community.

Name

Deutsches Institut für Forschungskommunikation

Legal name

DIF Deutsches Institut für Forschungskommunikation GmbH

Website

https://forschungskommunikation.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Deutsches Institut für Forschungskommunikation (DIF) is a Munich-based, premium training and strategy institute founded in 2021 that delivers media training, crisis communication, GEO/AI workshops, and communication consulting to German research institutions, universities, and scientists, anchored by a 20+ trainer network and a proprietary relevance-measurement tool, SciRENA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services — Training and Coaching: DIF generates revenue by providing fee-for-service training sessions, workshops, coaching, and consulting engagements to research institutions, universities, and science-adjacent organizations. Services include media training, presentation training, AI/GEO workshops, crisis management, resilience workshops, TikTok camera training, conflict management seminars, and internal editorial consulting. Sessions are offered in various formats (in-person, online, webinar, compact 3-hour sessions, intensive small-group trainings) and are priced per engagement or module. The institute also conducts comprehensive communication strategy projects for clients.
2. SciRENA Relevance Measurement: DIF offers the Science Relevance Navigator (SciRENA) as a measurement and analytics service to assess an institution's public reputation and communication effectiveness. SciRENA is used for strategic planning and for fulfilling third-party funding requirements for communication evaluation. Revenue is generated through project-based consulting engagements with research institutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Deutsches Institut für Forschungskommunikation (DIF) is a premium training and strategy institute that delivers individualized communication training, coaching, and strategic consulting to scientific and research-adjacent institutions in the DACH region. Services include media training, presentation and pitch training, AI/GEO training, crisis communication, resilience workshops, podcast and TikTok training, and end-to-end communication concept development, supported by the proprietary SciRENA relevance-measurement tool.

Product overview

Deutsches Institut für Forschungskommunikation (DIF) is a premium training and strategy institute serving scientific and research-oriented institutions with over 20 trainers and coaches. The offering consists of a portfolio of communication training services and the SciRENA analytics tool. Core services include media training, presentation coaching, AI training, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) training, crisis communication, resilience workshops, and strategic communication concept development. The SciRENA (Science Relevance Navigator) tool serves as a standalone analytics product for measuring institutional reputation and communication effectiveness among target audiences. These services are delivered through individual consulting, group workshops, and the proprietary SciRENA measurement tool.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SciRENA (Science Relevance Navigator): Proprietary tool for measuring the relevance and reputation of research institutions in public perception.

Products and services

• Media Training Training for media appearances including TV, radio, newspaper, and specialist journal interviews, delivered by science-journalist and science-PR experts; develops concise messaging, authentic presentation, and panel/talk-show skills for researchers and institutional spokespeople.
• Presentation and Pitch Training Training for presentations, speeches, and third-party funding pitches delivered internally to staff, externally at conferences, and at product launches, press conferences, and stakeholder meetings.
• AI Training (KI-Schulungen) Training programs on artificial intelligence applications for press offices in research institutions, universities, and research-intensive companies, covering legal compliance, competence building, efficiency gains, and strategic AI communication.
• GEO Training (Generative Engine Optimization) Training to optimize scientific content for AI-based search and response systems, helping research institutions gain visibility in AI-generated answers and improve student recruitment and third-party funding potential.
• Resilience Workshops Compact three-hour webinars and intensive small-group trainings that help researchers develop resilience against criticism, communicate clearly, and present topics confidently to the public.
• Crisis Communication Training Strategic support and crisis prevention training for handling media crises, including simulation exercises, messaging development, and interview strategies for crisis situations at research institutions.
• Communication Concepts for Universities and Research Institutions Development of complete communication strategies tailored for scientific institutions and universities, including audience identification, content ownership, channel strategy, and long-term planning.
• Podcast Training Training covering podcast preparation, structure, and technical execution for research communication.
• TikTok Training Specialized media training for the TikTok platform, helping researchers present scientific content clearly, visually, and confidently in short video format.
• Conflict Management Seminars Seminars for leadership and press office staff on conflict resolution and prevention in complex research institution structures.
• SciRENA (Science Relevance Navigator) Proprietary analytics and consulting service that measures and documents the reputation and communication success of research institutions among target audiences, including policymakers, multipliers, and third-party funders; uses panel-based surveys and parallel data research to provide evidence-based insights for communication strategy and third-party funding applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Campus2Public pilot project has enabled researchers at TH Nürnberg and TH Würzburg-Schweinfurt to extend their communication skills, with measurable outcomes referenced in Bavaria-wide rollout plans.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bayerischer Landtag (Bavarian Parliament)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025The Bavarian Parliament (Landtag) is funding the Campus2Public pilot project, which DIF executes. The project aims to enhance the communication skills of scientists at Bavarian universities of applied sciences (HAW). Robert Brannekämper (CSU), Deputy Chairman of the State Parliament's Science and Art Committee, defined the project's objectives. This is a government-funded training initiative targeting Bayern's HAWs.
• Technische Hochschule Nürnberg Georg Simon OhmcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025TH Nürnberg (Georg Simon Ohm) is one of the first two partner institutions in the Campus2Public pilot project. Researchers at TH Nürnberg receive media training, strategy workshops, and social media coaching from DIF trainers. A professor from TH Nürnberg provided a positive testimonial about the DIF media training quality.
• Technische Hochschule Würzburg-SchweinfurtcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025TH Würzburg-Schweinfurt is the second founding partner institution in the Campus2Public project. Like TH Nürnberg, TH Würzburg-Schweinfurt researchers are provided with DIF-led media training, strategy workshops, and social media coaching as part of the pilot program.
• Akademie für Politische Bildung TutzingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIF participated in a WissKomm-Panel (Science Communication Panel) hosted by the Academy for Political Education Tutzing on the topic of 'Science Communication — Target Group Analysis and Practical Application.' The event brought together ~60 experts including representatives from Hochschule Landshut and the Institute for Robotics and Mechatronics at DLR. DIF-Geschäftsführer Gunther Schnatmann represented DIF on the panel.
• Hochschule LandshutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHochschule Landshut co-hosted the WissKomm-Panel with the Akademie für Politische Bildung Tutzing and DLR's Institute for Robotics and Mechatronics. DIF-Geschäftsführer Gunther Schnatmann participated in the panel alongside Prof. Dr. Beatrice Dembach from TH Nürnberg and other science communication experts.
• Institut für Robotik und Mechatronik, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDLR's Institute for Robotics and Mechatronics co-hosted the WissKomm-Panel with the Akademie für Politische Bildung Tutzing and Hochschule Landshut. DIF-Geschäftsführer Gunther Schnatmann participated in the panel alongside DLR representatives and other science communication experts.
• PresseClub MünchenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIF participated in a high-profile panel discussion at the PresseClub München alongside the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, TH Nürnberg, and 'Wissenschaft im Dialog' on the topic of science acceptance in society. The event was organized by the PresseClub München and DIF contributed Gunther Schnatmann as a panelist. The discussion was recorded and made available on YouTube.
• Wissenschaft im DialogminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDIF participated in the Forum Wissenschaftskommunikation in Bielefeld (November 2023) and exhibited at the Forum in Berlin (December 2024). 'Wissenschaft im Dialog' is Germany's leading organization for science dialogue and the organizer of the Forum Wissenschaftskommunikation. DIF's participation as a partner/exhibitor indicates a strategic alignment within the German science communication ecosystem.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Serviceplan Group: Germany's largest independent agency group, with a top-tier PR arm (Serviceplan PR, previously led by DIF's own Thorsten Hebes for 17 years). Closely comparable to DIF in communications training and PR services; significantly broader in scale and vertical coverage but serves overlapping research and technology clients.
• fischerAppelt: One of Germany's largest integrated communications agencies, with established science, technology, and corporate practice areas. Comparable to DIF in offering media training, communications strategy, and PR services, but serves a much broader client roster across multiple verticals rather than specializing exclusively in research institutions.
• Edelman Germany: German arm of the global Edelman public relations firm, with substantial science, health, and technology practice areas (including the influential Edelman Trust Barometer). Comparable to DIF for science and research clients, with much wider geographic footprint and significantly deeper bench.
• Ketchum Germany (Ketchum Publico): Global communications consultancy with significant DACH operations serving technology, health, and corporate clients. Overlaps with DIF in media training, communications strategy, and crisis advisory for science- and technology-oriented clients, with broader scale and global reach.
• Hering Schuppener Consulting: German strategic communications and public affairs consultancy within the Finsbury Glover Hering global network. Comparable to DIF at the strategic-communications and CEO-advisory layer (both serve boards, ministries, and listed corporates), but with broader industry focus and a much larger senior bench.
• WE Communications (Germany): Global technology-focused communications agency with German operations. Comparable to DIF on the technology-and-research client profile and on offering communications training and strategic advisory, with broader industry coverage and a global network.

Others

• Scholz & Friends Group: Major integrated German communications group with corporate communications and PR capabilities. Adjacent to DIF on offering media training and strategy work, but primarily a creative and advertising agency rather than a science-communications specialist; relevant ecosystem player rather than direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Fink & Fuchs Public Relations GmbH: German PR agency specializing in technology, IT, and research-oriented clients. Highly comparable to DIF given a similar focus on tech- and research-driven B2B communications and media relations work, though with a stronger technology-product and conference-producer angle rather than training/coaching delivery.
• navos Public Relations GmbH: Bavaria-based communications consultancy serving tech, science, and B2B clients. Directly comparable to DIF on geography (Munich/Bavaria), vertical specialization (research and technology clients), and senior-led bespoke delivery model.
• Piabo PR GmbH: Berlin-based communications consultancy focused on tech, digital, and innovation-driven companies. Overlaps with DIF in serving science- and technology-adjacent organizations with media relations and strategic communications, with comparable size and a similarly senior-led, bespoke service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@forschungskommunikation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forschungskommunikation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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