The Berlin Office 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.
In addition, the staff of the Berlin Office observes parliamentary processes, approach political decision-makers and interact with the Berlin think tank community. 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 primarily aimed at members of the German Bundestag and their staff. IFSH researchers present their current research results and derive political recommendations for action. Through this IFSH supports decision-makers in the formulation of scientifically grounded policy measures. For example, the experts discuss the effects of nuclear weapons and the security risks of AI applications such as chatbots. Depending on the thematic and political relevance, members of the state parliaments and the European Parliament are also addressed.
Briefly Explained (“Kurz Erklärt”): As a special form of parliamentary briefing, this format is aimed at members of the German Bundestag and their staff as well as representatives of ministries. It presents current IFSH research results in a particularly concise and entertaining format. Previous topics have included the potential for escalation in the Ukrainian war, the punishment 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 representatives from government and parliament as well as experts from academia and think tanks. In these briefings, IFSH researchers present their latest publications and discuss current political and social developments. The format also serves to network security policy actors with each other. Topics so far have been, for example, the suspension of New START or the evaluation of German security legislation.
Public events: These events provide valuable opportunities for the interested public to stay informed about the latest developments in peace research and security policy, while promoting dialogue and collaboration among experts from various sectors. Examples include an evening event on the National Security Strategy in February 2023 at the Hamburg State Representation or IFSH's contribution to the annual Security Policy Forum of the Federal Academy for Security Policy.
Berlin Staff
Anja Dahlmann 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. Yasmin Cürük, Maximilian Pfeiffer and Frederico Ganz support the work of the joint project The CBW network for a comprehensive reinforcement of norms against chemical and biological weapons (CBWNet) as student assistants. This project is led by Dr Alexander Kelle. Dr Matthias Schulze, the head of the International Cyber Security (ICS) research focus and Wolfgang Rudischhauser, Senior Fellow in the research area Arms Control and Emerging Technologies, are also based at the Berlin office.
Anniversary reception to mark the fifth anniversary of the IFSH Berlin Office
On its fifth anniversary, the IFSH Berlin office can look back on more than 60 successful events and background discussions. This IFSH milestone was duly celebrated on September 23, 2024 with a reception at the Berlin office. Together with actors from politics, academia and think tanks, Anja Dahlmann and Prof. Dr. Ursula Schröder summed up the successful development of the office and its work in the German capital. The office's staff make a decisive contribution to increasing the visibility of the Institute and its topics. Katja Keul, Minister of State at the German Federal Foreign Office, conveyed her congratulations and emphasized in her keynote speech the importance of peace research, especially in times of unpeace. Thanks to the Berlin office, the distances for exchange are short, which makes direct dialog with political decision-makers in the capital much easier.
Overall, it was a successful evening that gave an insight into the work and network of the Berlin office.
