Federal Labour Minister Hubert Heil Inaugurates New Institute

The German Institute for Interdisciplinary Social Policy Research (DIFIS) of the Universities of Bremen and Duisburg-Essen was inaugurated by Federal Minister Hubertus Heil on 8 June. The ministry is funding the institute’s establishment and research with about eight million euros over five years. The institute is to conduct research on future social policy issues and promote the transfer between science and practice.

"It is an important signal that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is funding the establishment of the DIFIS," said the rector of the University of Bremen, Professor Bernd Scholz-Reiter. "The application to political practice of scientific findings in social policy and inequality research is indispensable."

Under the inaugural theme "Corona & beyond", Mr Heil discussed the current challenges of social policy — and thus also of social policy research — with the DIFIS director, Professor Ute Klammer (University of Duisburg-Essen), and the DIFIS deputy director, Professor Frank Nullmeier (SOCIUM Research Centre on Inequality and Social Policy, University of Bremen).

DIFIS is also responsible for the knowledge hub and coordination of the Interdisciplinary Social Policy Research Funding Network (FIS), which has been in existence since 2016. Through this network, the Ministry of Labour supports research and promotes young researchers in the field of social policy at German universities.