Organisation
© gettyimages/Jamie Grill In Germany, the work of the DWIH network is subject to the strategic oversight of a Board of Trustees and a Programme Committee. At the local level, the individual DWIH design their programme of activities in cooperation with their supporters in a local Advisory Board.
With effect from 1 January 2017, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) took over the management of the then still five German Centres for Research and Innovation (DWIH) – the DWIH San Francisco was established in January 2022.
In September 2017, a central management office for the DWIH network was set up at the DAAD’s headquarters. The DAAD has overall responsibility for the network and also coordinates activities between all the actors involved. A new management structure for the network was established in 2017 with a view to guaranteeing the participatory character of the DWIH.
It comprises the following bodies:
The Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees brings politicians, scientists and business representatives together. It is the central body responsible for the strategic control of the DWIH. The Board of Trustees draws up recommendations for the objectives that are agreed annually between the Federal Foreign Office and the DAAD and sets out the strategic framework for the overall DWIH network – allowing sufficient scope for national and regional specificities. The Board of Trustees is chaired by the Federal Foreign Office and co-chaired by the respective chair of the Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany.
The Programme Committee
Chaired by the Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany, the Programme Committee comprises not only the members of the Board of Trustees but also the directors of the individual DWIH and the local Advisory Board chairpersons. Being the working body of the Board of Trustees, the Programme Committee reaches agreement with the individual DWIH on how to implement the strategic framework activities and provides feedback to the Board of Trustees concerning the practical experiences of the local DWIH. The annual plans of the DWIH are presented, reviewed and discussed in the Programme Committee.
Local organisational structure
The director of each DWIH is responsible for its management. Directors are appointed by the DAAD. As a rule, the DWIH director will be the director of the DAAD’s regional office at the site in question. The local management structure also includes the Advisory Board of the respective DWIH, which enables the involvement of all supporters. Every two years, the Advisory Board elects a chairperson from among its own members.