The Berlin Office has been operating since 2019 and is committed to the transfer of knowledge in various formats. Together with partners from science, civil society and politics, the Berlin Office organizes public discussion events on the current research of IFSH. In addition, there are special, non-public event formats specifically aimed at politicians and experts.
The staff of the Berlin Office monitors parliamentary processes, engages directly with political decision-makers, and exchanges ideas with policy advisory actors. Representing the institute in the capital, the office also provides important support for the IFSH in Hamburg.
Event Formats
IFSH Parliamentary Briefing: This exchange format is aimed at members of the German Bundestag and their staff. IFSH researchers present research findings on current political issues and derive recommendations for action for the parliamentarians. Through this IFSH supports political decision-makers in formulating scientifically based measures. The experts discuss topics such as the effects of nuclear weapons or the security risks of AI applications like chatbots. Depending on thematic and political relevance, members of state parliaments and the European Parliament are also addressed.
Briefly Explained (“Kurz Erklärt”): This format is aimed at members of the German Bundestag and their staff, as well as representatives from ministries. It presents individual, often more technical aspects of current research at IFSH in a particularly concise format. Previous topics have included the potentials for escalation in the Ukrainian war, the prosecution of chemical weapons use, and the opportunities and limitations of satellite images as a source of information.
IFSH Briefing: This format consists of roundtable discussions with experts from academia and think tanks, as well as representatives from government and parliament. In these briefings, IFSH researchers present their latest research and contextualize current political and societal developments. The format also serves to connect security policy actors with one another. Topics so far have included, for example, the suspension of New START or the evaluation of German security legislation.
Public events: These events provide opportunities for the interested public to stay informed about the latest developments in peace research and security policy. The events are usually panel discussions where IFSH researchers engage in dialogue with politicians, representatives from think tanks, and experts from other academic institutions. The topics are highly relevant and cover the thematic range of the institute, from the realignment of German security policy to arms control and cybersecurity. Additionally, the Berlin office coordinates IFSH contributions to the annual German Forum on Security Policy organized by the Federal Academy for Security Policy.
Staff Members in Berlin
Anja Dahlmann (on parental leave from March to December 2025) heads the Berlin office. She also conducts research on autonomous weapons systems in the research and transfer project Arms Control and Emerging Technologies. Together with Theres Klose, the coordinator and event manager of the office, she fosters the IFSH knowledge transfer to political decision-makers and the public in Berlin. Sina Brauer supports the team as a student assistant.
In addition, other IFSH staff members work on various projects in the Berlin office. Dr Tobias Fella is a researcher and leads the project Challenges to Deep Cuts. Lucian Bumeder coordinates the work of the Young Deep Cuts Commission as a researcher within that project. Furthermore, the research focus on International Cybersecurity (ICS) is based in Berlin. In close collaboration with researchers Lena-Sophie Drews and Mateusz Łabuz, Dr Matthias Schulze leads the work on this research focus. The joint project The CBW network for a comprehensive reinforcement of norms against chemical and biological weapons (CBWNet) is represented by student employees in the Berlin office. Additionally, Wolfgang Rudischhauser, senior fellow in the research area of Arms Control and Emerging Technologies, is present on-site. The project Impact Hub: Integrierte Wirkfähigkeit von integriertem Friedensengagement is also based in the Berlin office, involving researchers Dr Anne Lange and Jessica Noll.
