Institute for Rural Development Research (IfLS)

What Institute for Rural Development Research (IfLS) does

The Institute for Rural Development Research (Institut für Ländliche Strukturforschung, IfLS) is a non-profit research institute founded in 1957 and affiliated with Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main. Headquartered in Frankfurt am Main-Bockenheim with additional offices in Freiburg and Bonn, it operates through two legal entities — the registered association IfLS e.V. and the consulting subsidiary IfLS Beratung und Projekte GmbH — and is governed by a board chaired by Jörg Schramek with Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Gehrlein serving as Managing Director. The institute employs approximately 20 staff and is positioned as a bridge between academic rural-development research and applied policy advisory.

IfLS delivers research, evaluation, consulting, concept and strategy development, knowledge transfer, and participation-process facilitation, with a thematic focus on rural areas, agriculture, land use, bioeconomy, climate, and circular economy. Its core client base consists of German public-sector institutions, principally the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and the state governments of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. Revenue is generated through competitively awarded evaluation and advisory contracts rather than commercial product sales.

The institute is currently a contracted evaluator for six specific objectives of the German CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) Strategic Plan 2023-2027, and delivered the final evaluations of the MEPL-III program (Baden-Württemberg) and the EULLE program (Rhineland-Palatinate) in June 2026, alongside an ad-hoc diversification study for Baden-Württemberg in July 2026. International engagement is signaled through the Interreg Europe iCEAR project on circular economy and active participation in the EU CAP Network. Knowledge-transfer outputs include the annual IfLS Journal, a quarterly newsletter, and the Tischgespräche virtual discussion series.

Name

Institute for Rural Development Research (IfLS)

Legal name

Institut für Ländliche Strukturforschung e.V.

Website

https://ifls.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Institute for Rural Development Research (IfLS) is a Frankfurt-based non-profit research institute affiliated with Goethe University Frankfurt, providing research, evaluation, and consulting on rural development, agriculture, and land use primarily to German federal and state government clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt/Main

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IfLS provides applied research, evaluation, and consulting services focused on rural development and agricultural policy. Core service lines include Research and Development, Evaluation (notably of EU CAP strategic plans and German state rural development programs), Beratung (Consulting), Concept and Strategy Development, Information/Knowledge Transfer/Education, and Participation Processes, Moderation and Event Management. Services are delivered primarily to German federal and state government ministries, EU bodies, and academic partners across Europe.

Product overview

The Institute for Rural Development Research (IfLS) is a non-profit research institute (Institut für Ländliche Strukturforschung e.V.) affiliated with the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, operating alongside its consulting subsidiary IfLS Beratung und Projekte GmbH. The organization provides a portfolio of services centered on research, evaluation, and consulting for rural development and agricultural policy. Core service offerings include Research and Development, Evaluation (particularly for EU CAP strategic plans), Consulting, Concept and Strategy Development, Information/Knowledge Transfer/Education, and Participation Processes/Moderation/Event Management. The institute also publishes the annual IfLS Journal and quarterly IfLS Newsletter as knowledge dissemination products. Research topics span agricultural policy, farm business socio-economics, sustainable land use, regional development, protected areas, bioeconomy, climate protection, sustainability, knowledge/innovation, and international cooperation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research and Development Research and development services in areas of rural development, agricultural policy, and regional development, typically commissioned by government ministries, EU bodies, and academic partners.
• Evaluation Evaluation services for agricultural programmes, rural development initiatives, and EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) strategic plans, including ongoing evaluation of the German CAP Strategic Plan 2023–2027 and final evaluations of state programmes such as MEPL-III (Baden-Württemberg) and EPLR EULLE (Rhineland-Palatinate) for the 2014–2022 funding period.
• Beratung (Consulting) Consulting services for rural development, agricultural businesses, and regional development strategies, including ad-hoc studies such as the diversification opportunities study for agricultural businesses commissioned by the Ministry of Rural Affairs, Agriculture and Homeland of Baden-Württemberg.
• Concept and Strategy Development Concept and strategy development services for rural areas and agricultural policy, supporting public-sector clients in formulating regional and sectoral strategies.
• Information, Knowledge Transfer and Education Information, knowledge transfer, and education services in the field of rural development, designed for policy makers, practitioners, and broader rural development audiences.
• Participation Processes, Moderation and Event Management Participation processes, moderation, and event management services for rural development projects, including facilitation of stakeholder dialogue such as the 'Jugend gestaltet nachhaltige Kommune' event for the Hessian Sustainability Alliance.

Quantifiable outcome

• IfLS, together with consortium partners, evaluates multiple areas of the German CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027: income support (SZ 1), competitiveness (SZ 2), farm strengthening (SZ 3), startup/young farmer support (SZ 7), rural development/LEADER (SZ 8), and cross-cutting objective on knowledge, innovation and digitalisation.
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am MaincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIfLS is institutionally affiliated with the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main. This academic partnership provides research credibility, access to academic talent, and methodological grounding for its work in rural development research and evaluation.
• Forschungsgruppe Agrar- und Regionalentwicklung Triesdorf (FgAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in the evaluation of MEPL-III (funding period 2014-2022) for Baden-Württemberg, collaborating with IfLS on agricultural and regional development evaluations.
• Unique LandusecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in the MEPL-III evaluation project, bringing expertise in land use analysis to the joint evaluation work for Baden-Württemberg's development program.
• Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBMEL is the commissioning client for the evaluation of the German CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027, in which IfLS evaluates income support, competitiveness, farm strengthening, young farmer support, rural development/LEADER, and the cross-cutting objective on knowledge and innovation.
• Ministry of Rural Affairs, Agriculture and Homeland of Baden-WürttembergcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned an ad-hoc study on diversification opportunities for agricultural businesses, presented findings in July 2026. Also commissioned MEPL-III evaluation for the 2014-2022 funding period.
• Hessische Nachhaltigkeitsallianz (Hessian Sustainability Alliance)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIfLS Beratung und Projekte GmbH facilitated the event 'Youth Shapes Sustainable Municipality' (Jugend gestaltet nachhaltige Kommune) for the Alliance in Eltville, Hesse, supporting municipal sustainability engagement.
• EU CAP Network / EU-CAP Evaluation HelpdeskminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIfLS participates in Good Practice Workshops organized by the EU CAP Network and Evaluation Helpdesk, contributing to pan-European discussions on evaluation methodologies and CAP post-2027 policy preparation.
• Interreg Europe iCEAR Project PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartneriCEAR (Integrated Circular Economy Action Plans for Rural Areas) is an Interreg Europe project in which IfLS participates as a partner, working on circular economy action plans for rural areas. Partners met in Poland to discuss circular economy practices.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ecologic Institute: Berlin-based independent policy research institute applying rigorous scientific methods to environmental and sustainability policy. Comparable as a German non-university institute combining academic credibility with policy evaluation and consulting for EU and federal clients.
• Thünen Institute: Germany's federal research institute under the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, conducting applied research on agriculture, rural areas, forestry, and fisheries. Most directly comparable peer as a publicly funded German policy research institute serving BMEL and EU CAP policy work.
• HFFA Research GmbH: Berlin-based research consultancy focused on agricultural economics and policy analysis. Directly comparable as a small, specialised German firm delivering applied research, policy evaluation, and consulting to public-sector and industry clients in agriculture.
• Öko-Institut: Freiburg/Darmstadt-based institute for applied ecology and sustainability research. Closely comparable structure and business model: independent German research institute working on sustainability, climate, agriculture, and rural policy with public-sector and EU clients.
• IAMO (Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies): Halle-based Leibniz Institute focused on agricultural development and policy research for transition economies. Directly comparable as a German non-university research institute conducting applied socio-economic and policy research in agriculture and rural development.
• Wageningen Economic Research (WECR): Part of Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands, conducts applied socio-economic research and policy evaluations for Dutch and EU agricultural and rural policy. Highly comparable business model: applied research, policy evaluation, and consulting for EU CAP and national agricultural policy.

Broad incumbents

• INRAE: France's National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment — a much larger European public research institution that conducts socio-economic and policy research on agriculture and rural development. Overlapping scope but significantly broader mandate and deeper resources.
• Fraunhofer ISI (Institute for Systems and Innovation Research): Part of Germany's Fraunhofer Society, conducting applied research and policy consulting on innovation, sustainability, and economic policy. Comparable in applying academic methods to public-policy consulting but operates at substantially larger scale and across a wider range of topics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights2 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ifls_rural
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institut-f%C3%BCr-l%C3%A4ndliche-strukturforschung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute for Rural Development Research (IfLS)