Deutsches Zentrum fuer Altersfragen

What Deutsches Zentrum fuer Altersfragen does

Deutsches Zentrum für Altersfragen (DZA), also operating as the German Centre of Gerontology, is a federally funded non-profit research institute (eingetragener Verein, Registergericht Berlin-Charlottenburg VR 4805 B) founded in 1974 and headquartered at Manfred-von-Richthofen-Straße 2 in Berlin-Tempelhof. The institute studies social participation across the lifespan with a focus on the second half of life, operating three longitudinal survey instruments: the Deutscher Alterssurvey (DEAS), the Deutscher Freiwilligensurvey (FWS) and the D80+ study on very old people in Germany. It runs the Forschungsdatenzentrum (FDZ-DZA), a Research Data Centre registered with the RatSWD that distributes DEAS, FWS and D80+ micro-data to academic researchers for non-commercial use, and it houses the most extensive gerontology library in the German-speaking world.

DZA's business model is institutional rather than commercial. Core funding flows from the Bundesministerium für Bildung, Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (BMBFSFJ), supplemented by project grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), the Hans-Böckler-Stiftung and other federal ministries. Outputs — publications, fact sheets, data, policy advice, secretariat services — are provided free of charge to policymakers, the scientific community and the public. As a Ressortforschungseinrichtung, DZA holds formal mandates to operate the Geschäftsstelle für die Altersberichte der Bundesregierung and the Geschäftsstelle Nationale Demenzstrategie, making it the principal federal conduit between ageing research and German policy. DZA has no subsidiaries, no parent entity, no funding rounds, no M&A activity and no commercial pricing; revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. Workforce is small (11–50 employees), the institute is governed by a board of official representatives with Dr. Julia Simonson serving as Interim Director and Dr. Laura Romeu Gordo as Interim Deputy Director and Head of Research.

Name

Deutsches Zentrum fuer Altersfragen

Legal name

Deutsches Zentrum für Altersfragen (DZA) / German Center of Gerontology

Website

https://dza.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Deutsches Zentrum für Altersfragen (DZA) is a Berlin-based, federally funded non-profit research institute founded in 1974 that studies social participation in the second half of life through longitudinal surveys (DEAS, FWS, D80+) and provides policy advice to BMBFSFJ, including secretariats for the Federal Age Reports and the National Dementia Strategy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Research and Policy Consulting

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHALAN

Healthcare Outcomes & Real-World Evidence (RWE) Analytics

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Research, Analytics & Expert Services

Keywords

• Gerontology research
• Ageing surveys
• Policy consulting
• Longitudinal studies
• Social participation research

Headquarters

HQ city

Magdeburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Core funding from the Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ). Additional project funding from organizations such as the German Research Foundation (DFG), Hans Böckler Foundation, and various federal ministries.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Deutsches Zentrum fuer Altersfragen (DZA) is a federal research institute that conducts social and behavioral research on ageing, with a particular focus on social participation in the second half of life. It operates longitudinal surveys (German Ageing Survey/DEAS, German Survey on Volunteering/FWS, D80+ Study), runs a Research Data Centre (FDZ-DZA), provides policy advice to the German Federal Government through offices managing the Altersberichte (Age Reports) and the National Dementia Strategy, and disseminates findings through publications, a gerontology library, and public engagement tools.

Product overview

The Deutsches Zentrum für Altersfragen (DZA) is a federal research institute focused on social participation across the lifespan, with particular emphasis on the second half of life. It operates as a research institution rather than a commercial product company. The DZA's core offerings consist of longitudinal surveys (Deutscher Alterssurvey/DEAS, Deutscher Freiwilligensurvey/FWS, D80+), a Research Data Centre (FDZ-DZA) providing data access to scholars, policy consulting services including secretariat functions for government reports on ageing and the National Dementia Strategy, and public engagement tools including a gerontology library and an interactive quiz. Research findings are disseminated through publication series including DZA Aktuell and DZA Fact Sheets. The institution does not offer commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Deutscher Alterssurvey (DEAS) A representative cross-sectional and longitudinal survey of persons in the second half of life, conducted for three decades, tracking people as they age. Funded by BMBFSFJ.
• Deutscher Freiwilligensurvey (FWS) Comprehensive national survey on voluntary engagement in Germany.
• D80+ Study (Hohes Alter in Deutschland) Research study focused on the very old people aged 80 and above in Germany.
• Forschungsdatenzentrum (FDZ-DZA) Research Data Centre providing access to micro-data from the German Ageing Survey (DEAS), German Survey on Volunteering (FWS), and other studies to scholars for non-commercial purposes, including data download and consulting services.
• Geschaeftsstelle fuer die Altersberichte der Bundesregierung Office supporting the German Federal Government's reports on older people, providing policy advice, coordination, and management of the Altersbericht (Age Report) series.
• Geschaeftsstelle Nationale Demenzstrategie Office supporting the Federal Government, associations and municipalities in developing the National Dementia Strategy.
• Gerontology Library Sociogerontological specialized library with the most extensive collection of scientific and application-oriented literature on age and ageing in the German-speaking world, located on the 3rd floor of DZA in Berlin-Tempelhof.
• DZA Aktuell Publication series presenting current research findings from the German Ageing Survey and German Survey on Volunteering.
• DZA Fact Sheets Fact sheets presenting findings on current social issues related to ageing and older people.
• DZA-Quiz Interactive online quiz covering topics of ageing including age images, social relationships, health, media usage, and participation.
• ReWiSil Evaluation Study Evaluation project examining the reach and effectiveness of the Silbernetz-Hotline against loneliness among older people, funded by BMBFSFJ.
• CoESI Research Project Research project on the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the development of social integration in middle and older adulthood.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SHARE Berlin Institute (SBI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Founded in 2022 as a joint venture with Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW Berlin), and Sozialwissenschaftliches Forschungszentrum Berlin (WZB). DZA is one of four shareholders supporting this institute focused on health, ageing, and retirement research.
• Charité – Universitätsmedizin BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor university medical partner. Prof. Dr. Adelheid Kuhlmey serves as member of DZA's supporting association (Trägerverein). Joint shareholder in SHARE Berlin Institute.
• Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW Berlin)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Dr. Peter Haan serves as member of DZA's Scientific Advisory Board. DIW provides access to SOEP data. Joint shareholder in SHARE Berlin Institute.
• Sozialwissenschaftliches Forschungszentrum Berlin (WZB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint shareholder in SHARE Berlin Institute. Multiple staff members have WZB backgrounds.
• RatSWD (Rat für Sozial- und WirtschaftsDaten)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFDZ-DZA is registered with the German Data Forum (RatSWD), the advisory body for the expansion and improvement of research data infrastructure in Germany.
• infas Institut für angewandte SozialwissenschaftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for German Ageing Survey (DEAS) data collection as the survey research institute responsible for fieldwork.
• Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational cooperation with Prof. Dr. Dorly Deeg (member of DEAS Advisory Board) at Amsterdam UMC for comparative ageing research.
• University of MichiganminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational cooperation with Prof. Dr. Jacqui Smith, Prof. Dr. Toni Antonucci, and Dr. Noah Webster for comparative ageing and social relationship research.
• Universität ZürichminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Dr. Alexandra Freund serves as Chairperson of DZA's Scientific Advisory Board.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB): Berlin-based social science research institute and co-shareholder of SHARE Berlin Institute. Multiple DZA staff have WZB backgrounds, and both institutes address social participation and inequality in Germany with comparable methodologies and federal funding profiles.
• SHARE-ERIC (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe): European research infrastructure providing cross-national longitudinal data on individuals aged 50+. DZA is a participating node and partner via SHARE Berlin Institute, making it the closest comparator in terms of survey instruments and policy evidence.
• Centre for Ageing Better (UK): UK charity that produces evidence and policy recommendations to improve later life. Closest international analogue to DZA in terms of mission (translating ageing research into policy advice), though funded by an independent foundation rather than direct government appropriation.
• Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB): German federal research institute on the labour market, with major programmes on older workers, retirement transitions, and pension policy. Directly comparable institutional model and overlapping research domains with DZA.
• Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW Berlin): Berlin-based federal economic research institute and co-shareholder of SHARE Berlin Institute with DZA. Conducts large-scale panel data work (SOEP) and economic research on ageing, retirement, and income, making it the closest methodological and institutional analogue to DZA.
• Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital: Vienna-based centre combining IIASA, Austrian Academy of Sciences, and University of Vienna demographic research. Closest academic peer in producing cross-national demographic and ageing evidence relevant to German policy.
• Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI): Dutch research institute on population studies with substantial work on ageing, retirement, and policy. Directly comparable to DZA's combination of demographic research and policy advising at the national level.
• Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungsforschung (BiB): German federal research institute focused on demographics, fertility, migration, and ageing. Directly comparable in scope to DZA on population-ageing questions and competes for the same federal policy advisory mandate.
• Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA): Long-running Dutch longitudinal study of older adults, with comparable objectives to DZA's DEAS and D80+ studies. International cooperation partner and methodological peer for cross-country comparative ageing research.

Broad incumbents

• Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin: Major German university hospital and DZA partner via SHARE Berlin Institute. Much broader medical mandate, but contains significant geriatrics and ageing research capacity that overlaps with DZA's health and dementia agenda.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/altersfragen
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBzhruWQjPRVRTD3xfjdSlw/featured
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deutsches-zentrum-f%C3%BCr-altersfragen-e.v./mycompany/?viewAsMember=true

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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