Research Institute Social Cohesion

What Research Institute Social Cohesion does

The Forschungsinstitut Gesellschaftlicher Zusammenhalt (FGZ) / Research Institute Social Cohesion (RISC) is a German, federally funded, interdisciplinary research institute established in 2020 and headquartered in Leipzig, with distributed operations across 11 locations in Germany. It conducts basic and applied social-science research on the conditions, dynamics, and threats to social cohesion in democratic societies, drawing on sociology, political science, history, law, psychology, geography, philosophy, education, communications, cultural studies, economics, and administrative sciences. Its core research outputs include the four thematic fields (A–D) covering democratic cohesion, socioeconomic status distributions, public infrastructure and goods, and cultural dynamics; the German Social Cohesion Panel (SCP), a longitudinal data infrastructure for trend monitoring; the InRa Study on institutional racism; and a publication portfolio consisting of Working Papers, the Schriftenreihe book series, the Zusammenhaltsbericht, and the FGZ Blog 'Zusammenhalt begreifen'.

The institute is led by Scientific Director Prof. Dr. Olaf Groh-Samberg and Administrative Director Rebecca C. Schmidt, supported by a Directorium, Institutsrat, and Scientific Advisory Board, with a Praxisrat (Practice Council) for knowledge transfer. Approximately 200 scientists work across 11 sites consisting of 8 universities and 3 non-university research institutions, organized into 39 working packages spanning four thematic fields. Knowledge transfer is delivered through the FGZ HelpDesk, the Fellowship and Hospitanz programs, dialogue formats with civil society, and the annual FGZ Jahreskonferenz and Transferreihe 'Zusammenhalt ist…' event series.

The business model is that of a publicly funded, non-commercial research institute. The sole revenue stream is grant funding from the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), currently in its second funding phase (2024–2029), and all research outputs, publications, and knowledge-transfer activities are provided free of charge to policymakers, the scientific community, civil society, educators, and media. Customer segments span political decision-makers (primary), the scientific community (primary), civil society organizations, media, and political-education multipliers; the institute itself has no traditional ownership or equity structure.

Name

Research Institute Social Cohesion

Legal name

Forschungsinstitut Gesellschaftlicher Zusammenhalt

Website

https://fgz-risc.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FGZ is a German federally funded research institute founded in 2020, conducting interdisciplinary social-science research on social cohesion across 11 locations with approximately 200 scientists, funded entirely by the BMFTR and providing free research outputs to policymakers, academia, and civil society.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Science Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partnerships (EDADALAK), International & Comparative Education Policy Organizations (EDADADAL)

Keywords

• Social science research
• Policy research services
• Interdisciplinary research
• Longitudinal survey data
• Knowledge transfer consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: The institute is funded by the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR/Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt). The current second funding phase runs from 2024-2029.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Research Institute Social Cohesion (Forschungsinstitut Gesellschaftlicher Zusammenhalt / FGZ) is a federally funded, interdisciplinary, transfer-oriented research institute that conducts basic and applied social-science research on social cohesion in Germany across 11 locations and four thematic fields. It delivers longitudinal survey data via the German Social Cohesion Panel (SCP), targeted studies such as the InRa Study on institutional racism, policy advisory through the FGZ HelpDesk, and a portfolio of publications (Working Papers, Schriftenreihe, Cohesion Report, blog) and events (annual conferences, transfer formats) for policymakers, academia, civil society, media, and educators.

Product overview

The Research Institute Social Cohesion (FGZ/RISC) is an interdisciplinary, transfer-oriented research institute rather than a commercial product company. It operates a multi-location research infrastructure (11 sites across Germany) delivering research programs, publications, and knowledge transfer services. The core offerings include the FGZ Research Program organized across four thematic fields, the German Social Cohesion Panel (SCP) longitudinal data infrastructure, a Publication Database with Working Papers and Schriftenreihe book series, the FGZ-Blog "Zusammenhalt begreifen", FGZ Data Monitor analytical series, the InRa Study on institutional racism, advisory services through the FGZ HelpDesk, and annual events including the FGZ Jahreskonferenz. The institute also offers career programs including the Fellowprogramm and Hospitanzprogramm.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zusammenhalt begreifen: FGZ Blog - showcase for the variety of topics and perspectives of FGZ researchers, providing insights into ongoing research on social cohesion and addressing public debates or new crisis phenomena.

Products and services

• FGZ Research Program Interdisciplinary research program on social cohesion organized across four thematic fields (A–D) covering democratic politics, socioeconomic status and distribution orders, infrastructures and public goods, and cultural dynamics of cohesion, delivered across 11 locations in Germany.
• German Social Cohesion Panel (SCP) Longitudinal survey infrastructure collecting data on social cohesion in Germany, used for spatial analysis and trend monitoring by researchers, policymakers, and civil-society stakeholders.
• InRa Study 'Institutionen & Rassismus' (Institutions & Racism) Large-scale collaborative study investigating discrimination at individual, institutional, and structural levels in German public institutions, producing reports and special-issue publications for policymakers, academia, and the public.
• FGZ HelpDesk Consultation service providing expert advice on social cohesion topics to politicians, media representatives, civil-society organizations, and other practitioners.
• FGZ Jahreskonferenz (Annual Conference) Annual interdisciplinary conference bringing together experts from academia, politics, and civil society for exchange on social cohesion research and current societal topics.
• FGZ Working Papers Peer-reviewed research paper series published by FGZ researchers covering theoretical and empirical studies on social cohesion, distributed through the institute's publication database.
• FGZ Schriftenreihe (Series of Publications) Book series published by the institute presenting comprehensive research findings on social cohesion topics as a complement to the Working Papers series.
• FGZ Publication Database Online searchable database containing working papers, journal articles, books, blog posts, and other research outputs from FGZ researchers, publicly accessible.
• Cohesion Report (Zusammenhaltsbericht) Annual flagship publication summarizing the state of social cohesion in Germany based on FGZ research, including longitudinal SCP findings and thematic analyses.
• FGZ Data Monitor Data-driven blog series presenting spatial and statistical analyses on social-cohesion topics using SCP data, accessible to researchers, journalists, and the public.

Named customers2 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

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies: Cologne-based Max Planck institute studying how societies organize economic and political activity — directly comparable as a peer social science research institute with comparable size and policy-oriented output.
• WZB Berlin Social Science Center: Large German interdisciplinary social science research institute conducting empirical research on democracy, social inequality, and integration — overlapping strongly with FGZ's mandate on social cohesion and democratic cohesion.
• Hamburg Institute for Social Research (HIS): German interdisciplinary social science institute studying social inequality, democracy, and political culture — overlapping research themes and a comparable research-to-public transfer model.
• Institut für Demokratieforschung Göttingen: University-based institute researching democracy, political culture, and civil society — closely aligned with FGZ's Themenfeld A on democratic cohesion and a relevant academic counterpart.
• Deutsches Zentrum für Integration und Migrationsforschung (DeZIM): Federally funded German research center coordinating research on migration and integration across multiple sites — directly comparable to FGZ in distributed federal structure and focus on social cohesion-related topics.

Broad incumbents

• DIW Berlin (German Institute for Economic Research): Major German economic and social research institute producing policy-relevant empirical research — broader in scope than FGZ but comparable as a publicly funded research body influencing German policy debate.
• Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP): German Institute for International and Security Affairs — federally funded policy-research institute producing evidence-based advice, with comparable transfer architecture and federal funder profile.
• Leibniz Institute for the German Social Sciences (GESIS): Leibniz Association infrastructure institute for the social sciences providing survey methodology and data services — comparable as a publicly funded German social-science infrastructure provider, though with a methodological rather than thematic mandate.

Emerging players

• Center for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy (CeMAS): Berlin-based research and analysis center studying extremism, disinformation, and conspiracy ideologies — overlapping with FGZ's polarization and populism themes but smaller and more recently established.

Regional players

• Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin: Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin hosting international fellows across social sciences and humanities — relevant regional peer given overlapping academic-network positioning, though with a residential-fellowship rather than applied-research model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=_f7e6pikArc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fgz-risc

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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Frequently asked questions about Research Institute Social Cohesion