Officers

Implementing the Federal Directive for the Prevention of Corruption, the IRS management has appointed an anti-corruption officer. His/her responsibilities include corruption-related risk assessments, the design and implementation of a prevention system as well as regular trainings of IRS employees and executives. While performing his/her tasks, he/she works independently and is not bound by instructions. He/she supports and advises the IRS management in matters of corruption-prevention.

The general assembly of the Leibniz Association passed “Recommendations made by the Leibniz Association for safeguarding good scientific practice and handling complaints concerning scientific misconduct” on 27.11.2015. In the context of its own responsibilities, the IRS protects science and itself from falsifications and takes action against the misuse and manipulation of scientific results.

In the context of the scientific work on the IRS´s research projects, data are largely recorded, stored, processed and assessed. Furthermore, both the administration and the Dept. of Scientific Management handle personal data, among others. The data security officer takes care that in the context of these processes the Federal Data Protection Act and other regulations on data protection are kept. He/she analyses and controls the Institute´s data protection measures and makes suggestions for their improvement.

The General Act on Equal Treatment, in force since August, 2006, serves for the implementation of Europe-wide legal guidelines to prevent groups in need of protection from being discriminated against. It is the goal of this act to prevent people from being disadvantaged for reasons of race or ethnic origin, gender, religion or world view, disablement, age or sexual identity. In case of existing discrimination, the act is meant to remedy this. Employees are entitled to complain if they believe to be disadvantaged in the context of their employment and for one of the above stated reasons by the employer, by superiors, by other employees or by third parties. In such cases, the compliance officer functions as the authority in charge on behalf of the employer. He/she receives the complaint, assesses it and informs the complaining employee.

The equal of opportunities officer and her deputies are elected by all female employees at the IRS; after accepting their election they are officially appointed by the director of the institute. The equality of opportunities officer acts independently and free of instructions, she is involved in all opportunities-relevant staff development processes at the IRS – such as employment procedures, board positions or measures of further education – and reports on her work at regular intervals at general meetings of the Institute.