comenius-institut

What comenius-institut does

Comenius-Institut, formally 'Evangelische Arbeitsstätte für Erziehungswissenschaft e.V.', is a Münster-based non-profit research and service institute that operates the research, publication, and project agenda for Protestant religious education in Germany. Its functional remit spans adult education, congregational pedagogy, children's church, school-based religious education, gender and education, and online/distance learning, and it produces the empirical Protestant Educational Reporting system (EBiB) covering daycare, worship, adult education, school chaplaincy, and religious instruction. The institute is governed as a registered association (e.V.) under its members and is affiliated with the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD).

The core technological platform is rpi-virtuell, a virtual religious-pedagogical institute that combines the Materialpool digital media library, collaborative Groups, news aggregation, and blog functionality, and that feeds downstream portals such as evangelischer bildungsserver and partner OER communities. Newer technical work includes ReliDesk, a digital workspace for authoring religious learning arrangements launching March 2026 in cooperation with the Pedagogical Institute of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Northern Germany, and Edufeed, a decentralised Open Educational Resources infrastructure built on the Nostr protocol as part of the FOERBICO project. Products also include the InReV portal for inclusive religious pedagogy (with universities in Duisburg-Essen, Paderborn, and Würzburg) and the journal forum erwachsenenbildung, published by Waxmann Verlag.

The institute is funded primarily through a public grant from the BMBFSFJ (Federal Ministry for Education, Family, Seniors, Women and Youth) and through membership and operational support from Protestant church institutions and the EEB Bundesverband, with supplementary revenue from publication sales (journals at €9.90 per issue, books at €24.90–€34.90) and Open Access downloads. The institute's distribution runs through the Protestant church network; data attributes 419 facilities, 108,405 events, 2.28 million participants, and 1.15 million event hours to this network. Headcount sits in the 11–50 range and leadership is held by Director Dr. Peter Schreiner, with scientific staff integrating operational roles at EEB Bundesverband.

Name

comenius-institut

Legal name

Comenius-Institut, Evangelische Arbeitsstätte für Erziehungswissenschaft e.V.

Website

https://comenius.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Comenius-Institut is a Münster-based non-profit research and service institute that operates the research, publication, and project agenda for Protestant religious education in Germany, running the rpi-virtuell platform and serving the EKD church network across 419 adult-education facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Education Research

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Religious Education & Catechetical Publishing (Sunday School, Catechism, Study Guides) (MPAJAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK), Sermon, Homiletics & Ministry Resource Publishing (Preaching Aids, Pastoral Resources) (MPAJAHAD)

Keywords

• Religious education research
• Protestant education
• Adult education services
• Digital learning platforms
• Educational publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Münster

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: Funded by the Bundesministerium für Bildung, Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (BMBFSFJ) for adult education activities and research projects.
2. Publication Sales: Sale of books, journals (forum erwachsenenbildung), and educational materials through the Comenius-Institut bookshop. Publications include journals at 9.90€ and books at 24.90€-34.90€.
3. Membership and Church Support: As a registered nonprofit association (Evangelische Arbeitsstätte für Erziehungswissenschaft e.V.), supported by Protestant church institutions and member organizations.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Comenius-Institut conducts research, publications, and projects on Protestant education in church, school, and society. It operates the rpi-virtuell digital platform with a Materialpool media library serving religious educators, publishes the forum erwachsenenbildung journal, produces books and Open Access educational reports, and coordinates projects such as InReV, FOERBICO, Grundbildungsprojekte (LiAnE & GrubA), and the new ReliDesk digital workspace.

Product overview

Comenius-Institut operates as a comprehensive Protestant educational research and service institution offering multiple interconnected platforms and publications. The core offering includes rpi-virtuell, a virtual religious pedagogical platform with digital resources, collaborative tools, and a material pool for educators. The institute publishes the forum erwachsenenbildung journal and conducts the EBiB (Protestant Educational Reporting) system providing empirical data. Key projects include InReV for inclusive religious pedagogy, FOERBICO for open educational resources, and ReliDesk as a new digital workspace. The evangelischer bildungsserver aggregates educational content, while Grundbildungsprojekte addresses basic education and literacy needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• rpi-virtuell: A virtual religious education institute portal providing digital resources, materials, and networking for religious education professionals in schools and churches.

Products and services

• rpi-virtuell Virtual religious pedagogical institute providing a rich collection of practice aids, teaching materials, and central learning and communication technologies to support educators in religious pedagogical work fields in schools and churches. Features include Materialpool (digital media library), Groups for collaborative work, News for current information, and Blogs for content presentation.
• forum erwachsenenbildung (Professional Journal) Professional journal covering adult education topics published by Waxmann Verlag, addressing themes like demographics, politics, family education, and sustainable development; available as subscription at 9.90€ per issue including VAT.
• InReV – Inklusive Religionspädagogik der Vielfalt Internet portal for inclusive religious pedagogy of diversity, developed in cooperation with universities in Duisburg-Essen, Paderborn, and Würzburg.
• ReliDesk Digital workspace for developing religious learning arrangements, a new tool developed by Comenius-Institut for the Northern German Church region, initially focused on religious education.
• evangelischer bildungsserver (Protestant Education Server) Protestant educational server providing current information from various areas of church educational work, generated primarily from rpi-virtuell's material pool and news sections.
• EBiB – Evangelische Bildungsberichterstattung Protestant educational reporting system providing empirical data and analysis on Protestant educational institutions including daycare facilities, worship services for children, adult education, school pastoral care, and religious education.
• FOERBICO Project Project promoting open educational practices in religion-related communities through development of a coordinated OER ecosystem, involving communities like relilab, RELImentar, narrt, and relithek.
• Grundbildungsprojekte: LiAnE & GrubA Basic education projects focusing on literacy and basic education, implemented from September 2019 to August 2022 in cooperation with the German Protestant Church.
• EAF – Evangelische Arbeitsstelle Fernstudium (Distance Learning) Protestant distance learning center operating as a specialized unit of Comenius-Institut, providing online/distance theological education programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reaches 419 facilities with 108,405 events and 2.28 million participants annually
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

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

• EEB Bundesverband (Evangelische Erwachsenenbildung)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose partnership in handling adult education responsibilities. The EEB Bundesverband is the nationwide association of Protestant adult education, operating through educational institutions, family education centers, church communities, academies, and state organizations. CI and EEB jointly pursue responsibilities for adult education with support from BMBFSFJ.
• BMBFSFJ (Bundesministerium für Bildung, Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend)coreOthersFederal ministry providing funding for adult education activities undertaken by Comenius-Institut and EEB Bundesverband.
• Universität Duisburg-Essen, Paderborn, and Würzburg (via inrev)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership for the InReV (Inklusive Religionspädagogik der Vielfalt) project - an internet portal developed jointly with Comenius-Institut.
• rpi-virtuellcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual religious pedagogical institute operating as a project/part of Comenius-Institut. Provides digital platform, materials, and community for religious educators.
• GEKE (Gemeinschaft evangelischer Kirchen in Europa)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE) - partnership for European Protestant educational responsibility.
• KEK (Konferenz europäischer Kirchen)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConference of European Churches bringing together 114 churches from Orthodox, Protestant, and Anglican traditions.
• ALPIKAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking group of Protestant pedagogical-theological institutes. Protestant churches participate through their religious pedagogical and pedagogical-theological institutes.
• DGfE (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaft)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman Association for Educational Science - professional association connecting researchers and educators in the field.
• IV (International Association for Christian Education)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization of national associations in various European countries for Christian education purposes.
• Deutscher Katecheten-Verein e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association for religious education and upbringing - provides expertise and networking for religious educators.
• AEED (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Evangelische Erziehung und Bildung in Deutschland e.V.)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of Protestant educational institutions in Germany working on school-related topics.
• Evangelische Schulen in DeutschlandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInformation portal for Protestant school system in Germany, its institutions and partners.
• evangelischer bildungsservermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProtestant education server providing current information from many areas of church educational work. Content generated from rpi-virtuell material pool and news.
• Pädagogisches Institut der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Kirche in NorddeutschlandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner for the ReliDesk project - developing a digital workspace for religious learning arrangements for the northern German church region.
• FOERBICOmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject for promoting open educational practices in religion-related communities through development of a coordinated OER ecosystem.
• efabiNet (Netzwerk Evangelische Familienbildung)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork for Protestant family education, coordinated with Comenius-Institut for public relations work.
• EAF (Evangelische Arbeitsstelle Fernstudium)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProtestant distance learning center operating as a specialized unit of Comenius-Institut.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Katholisches Institut für Religionspädagogik: Catholic counterpart institute in Germany working on religious pedagogy, religious education materials, and teacher training. Closely comparable mandate to CI's religious-education focus, on the opposing side of the confessional divide.
• Bundesverband Katholische Erwachsenenbildung: National federation of Catholic adult-education institutions in Germany. Operates the same role for the Catholic community that the EEB Bundesverband and CI play for Protestant education, including similar federal funding relationships.
• Evangelische Akademie (network): Network of Protestant academies delivering adult education across Germany. Operates in the same adult-education ecosystem and shares audiences with CI's EEB Bundesverband counterparts.
• Deutsches Institut für Erwachsenenbildung (DIE): Leibniz Institute for German adult-education research, also based in part at Münster. Comparable mission in adult-education research and previously employed CI senior staff (Dr. Steffen Kleint).
• Arbeitsgemeinschaft Evangelische Erziehung und Bildung (AEED): Working group of Protestant educational institutions in Germany focused on school-related topics. A core strategic partner of CI and an obvious peer given overlapping Protestant-education scope.

Emerging players

• narrt: Network of religion-education professionals in Germany, co-hosting conferences with CI. Comparable niche community-building and OER focus.
• relilab: Catholic OER community for religious education, listed as one of the communities in CI's FOERBICO OER ecosystem project. Competes for OER mindshare in religious education.

Broad incumbents

• Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht: Established German academic publisher with strong theology and religious-studies programs. Overlaps with CI on scholarly religion publishing and competes for the same library and curriculum market.
• Gütersloher Verlagshaus: Major Protestant publishing house in Germany (part of Random House/Penguin). Publishes religious-education and ministry materials that overlap with CI's book and journal offerings.
• Waxmann Verlag: Academic publisher of education research and educational-practice titles; current publisher of CI's forum erwachsenenbildung journal. Compares on the publishing-services layer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/comenius-institut

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about comenius-institut