LIfBi - Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories

What LIfBi - Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories does

LIfBi - Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories is a German non-profit research institute established in 2014 and headquartered in Bamberg, Bavaria. It is registered as a non-profit association (eingetragener Verein, e.V.) under German law and operates as a member institute of the Leibniz Association, receiving joint core funding from the German federal and state governments supplemented by third-party project grants from bodies including the DFG, BMBF, and EU research programs. LIfBi is legally represented by Director Prof. Dr. Cordula Artelt and employs approximately 250 staff across research, infrastructure, and administration.

The institute's core product is the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), Germany's largest longitudinal educational study, which continuously surveys and tests more than 70,000 individuals (100,000+ total participants) across six starting cohorts spanning the entire lifespan from birth to late adulthood. LIfBi operates the FDZ-LIfBi Research Data Center (RatSWD-accredited since 2012), which prepares and distributes Scientific Use Files through three access modes: free download, RemoteNEPS secure remote processing, and on-site workstation access. The broader portfolio includes supplementary studies (ReGES, INSIDE, Data Literacy, TAEPS, GUS, BiLO, HISPOL), supporting tools (Variable Search Portal, NEPStools Stata), publication series (NEPS Survey Papers, LIfBi Working Papers, Transfer Reports), and community channels (Forum4MICA, NEPS Conferences, LIfBi Lectures). The NEPS consortium connects nearly 200 scientists across 13 partner institutions.

LIfBi functions as a public research infrastructure provider rather than a commercial entity. Scientific Use Files are provided free of charge to researchers worldwide under data use agreements, with no pricing model or revenue-generating products. The institute's go-to-market is community-led, relying on academic credibility, peer-reviewed publications, training events, and institutional partnerships (including Leibniz Association networks, NFDI/KonsortSWD, University of Bamberg, and the German Data Forum). Primary user segments are academic researchers in empirical education, psychology, and sociology, alongside German federal and state policy makers who use NEPS evidence for educational policy design.

Name

LIfBi - Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories

Legal name

Leibniz-Institut für Bildungsverläufe e.V.

Website

https://lifbi.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

LIfBi is a German non-profit Leibniz research institute that operates NEPS, Germany's largest longitudinal educational study tracking 70,000+ individuals from birth to adulthood, and distributes Scientific Use Files free of charge to academic researchers and policy makers worldwide via its RatSWD-accredited Research Data Center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Research Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Assessment, Testing & Exam Prep Publishing (MPAJABAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Professional Licensure & Certification Exam Prep (Bar/CPA/NCLEX/PMP, etc.) (EDAGADAD)

Keywords

• Educational research services
• Longitudinal study data
• Research data infrastructure
• Scientific use files
• Empirical education research

Headquarters

HQ city

Bamberg

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

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: As a Leibniz Association institute, LIfBi receives core funding from German federal and state governments for basic operations and infrastructure.
2. Third-Party Research Funding: Project-based funding from German federal ministries, research funding organizations (DFG, BMBF), and EU programs for specific research projects.
3. Free Data Distribution: Scientific Use Files are provided free of charge to the scientific community for research purposes; LIfBi is a non-profit research infrastructure institution.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LIfBi operates as a non-profit research infrastructure institution providing free Scientific Use Files from longitudinal educational studies through its FDZ-LIfBi Research Data Center. The institute hosts the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), Germany's largest longitudinal educational study covering educational processes from birth through adulthood, and offers data access via download, remote processing, or on-site workstation.

Product overview

LIfBi operates as a research institute with a platform-plus-services architecture centered on NEPS (Nationales Bildungspanel), Germany's largest longitudinal educational study. The core offering is the FDZ-LIfBi Research Data Center, which provides Scientific Use Files from NEPS and multiple supplementary studies (ReGES, INSIDE, Data Literacy, TAEPS, GUS, BiLO, HISPOL). Supporting services include the Variable Search Portal, NEPStools Stata, RemoteNEPS remote data processing, NEPS Data Trainings, Forum4MICA discussion forum, and LIfBi Lectures. The institute also publishes its own series including NEPS Survey Papers, LIfBi Working Papers, and Transfer Reports. All data is provided free of charge to researchers worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NEPS: National Educational Panel Study - the largest longitudinal educational study in Germany, conducted by LIfBi
• FDZ-LIfBi
• LIfBi Lectures

Products and services

• NEPS - National Educational Panel Study (Nationales Bildungspanel) The largest longitudinal educational study in Germany, continuously surveying and testing more than 70,000 people to research educational processes from birth to old age. Covering six starting cohorts across the entire lifespan, NEPS is designed for academic researchers conducting empirical educational research.
• FDZ-LIfBi - Research Data Center (Forschungsdatenzentrum) Provides user-friendly preparation of Scientific Use Files, comprehensive documentation, and secure flexible data access via download, remote, or on-site options for NEPS and other studies. RatSWD-accredited research data center serving the academic and research community.
• Variable Search Portal Online portal for systematic searching of suitable variables and constructs in Scientific Use Files of NEPS, ReGES and other studies, enabling structured search via terms, topics, and filter options.
• NEPStools Stata Stata software tools for working with NEPS data, enabling statistical analysis and data processing for researchers using NEPS datasets.
• RemoteNEPS Remote data processing system allowing comfortable use of sensitive NEPS and ReGES data via controlled server environment and virtual desktop.
• ReGES - Refugees in the German Educational System Study focusing on conditions under which integration of refugees into the German education system can succeed, with data from children and adolescents in refugee families.
• INSIDE - Inclusion in and after lower secondary education Study examining factors relevant to success of school inclusion of children in lower secondary education and subsequent transitions.
• Data Literacy (DaLi) Study on digital and data-related competencies in Germany, investigating how well people know about data and technology.
• TAEPS - Teachers in Adult Education Study on teachers in the field of adult and further education, providing survey data on their professional situation.
• GUS - Health Behavior and Injuries in School Age Nationwide panel survey investigating accidents and injuries in the school context among approximately 10,000 pupils.
• BiLO - BildungsLandschaft Oberfranken Project investigating the interplay between education and space using Upper Franconia as example, examining links between educational decisions and perceived opportunities.
• HISPOL - History of Political Education Data covering political education hours in all German federal states and school types since 1949, based on historical timetable analysis.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70,000+ individuals continuously followed through surveys and testing
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Leibniz-Gemeinschaft (Leibniz Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIfBi is a member of the Leibniz Association, a network of 96 non-university research institutions. The association provides core funding and promotes collaboration across its member institutes.
• University of Bamberg (Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose cooperation with the University of Bamberg, including joint graduate programs, guest lectures, and shared research initiatives. The Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences (BAGSS) is a key partner.
• NEPS Network Partners (13 Institutions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEPS brings together an interdisciplinary consortium including: Institute for Employment Research (IAB), German Centre for Higher Education Research (DZHW), TU Dortmund (IFS), HU Berlin, WZB Berlin, DIPF Frankfurt, IPN Kiel, DJI Munich, University of Leipzig, University of Bamberg. The network comprises nearly 200 scientists.
• German Data Forum (RatSWD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFDZ-LIfBi is accredited by the RatSWD (Rat für Sozial- und Wirtschaftsdaten) since 2012 and actively participates in the Committee for Data Access.
• NFDI - National Research Data InfrastructuremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIfBi participates in KonsortSWD and NFDI4Society consortiums for the national research data infrastructure, collaborating on data standards and FAIR data provision.
• German Institute for Adult Education (DIE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation regarding the jointly administered TAEPS study on teachers in adult education.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education: Leibniz partner institute focused on educational research and information infrastructure, co-located in the NEPS consortium. Directly comparable as a Leibniz education research institute operating overlapping research portfolios.
• Max Planck Institute for Human Development: Leading German research institute on human development, learning, and education across the lifespan. Directly comparable as a non-university research organization producing high-impact longitudinal educational research.
• German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) at DIW Berlin: Germany's largest longitudinal household panel, operated by DIW Berlin. Directly comparable as a long-running, large-scale German panel data infrastructure serving the international research community with free Scientific Use Files.
• DJI - German Youth Institute: Leibniz-associated research institute studying children's, adolescents', and young adults' living conditions, with overlapping interests in education, migration, and longitudinal youth research. A NEPS consortium partner with complementary survey infrastructure.
• GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences: Parallel Leibniz infrastructure institute providing social science research data services (e.g., German General Social Survey, ALLBUS, Eurobarometer) with accredited research data centers. Directly comparable as a Leibniz-affiliated data infrastructure provider serving the academic community.
• WZB Berlin Social Science Center: Leibniz-affiliated social science research institute and NEPS consortium partner, studying education, inequality, migration, and labor markets with its own panel data infrastructure. Directly comparable in scale and scope.

Broad incumbents

• NCES - National Center for Education Statistics (USA): U.S. federal statistical agency operating large-scale national longitudinal education studies (e.g., NELS, ELS, HSLS). Closest international counterpart in mission and methodology, though a government agency rather than an independent research institute.
• ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research: One of Germany's largest Leibniz economic research institutes, broader in scope (fiscal, macro, labor, education) but operating a comparable publicly funded model and serving similar policy-maker audiences.
• OECD Directorate for Education and Skills (PISA / INES): International organization administering PISA, TALIS, and the INES indicators system for cross-national education benchmarking. Comparable as a producer of internationally used educational assessment data, though operating across countries rather than within a single national system.

Emerging players

• IZA - Institute of Labor Economics: Bonn-based labor economics research institute with significant education economics research output, providing research data and discussion papers to the international academic community. Comparable in academic dissemination model though narrower in panel data offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lifbi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about LIfBi - Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories