Stifterverband certifies Helmholtz Centre Berlin for strategies in dealing with diversity
HZB is the first non-university research institution to be awarded the " Vielfalt gestalten " ("Shaping Diversity") certificate by the Stifterverband.
(from left to right: Volker Meyer-Guckel, Deputy Secretary General of the Stifterverband, Jennifer Schevardo, HZB Project Manager Diversity Audit, Jan Lüning, scientific director at HZB). © HZB
The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) is the first non-university research institution to have undergone the Stifterverband's diversity audit "Vielfalt gestalten". The certification attests to the HZB's opportunity-oriented concepts and measures for diverse groups of people.
Regardless of whether employees come from abroad, have a migration background or work part-time, regardless of their age, gender or ideology - all employees should be able to participate equally in everyday work with their abilities. To ensure this, the HZB went through an 18-month process. In the process, the existing concepts to promote diversity were expanded and corresponding measures were implemented. These concern both organisational structures and personnel management. Services for employees and diversity-sensitive communication are also part of the diversity strategy.
"The Diversity Audit has given us important impetus and pushed forward issues that we have been dealing with as an organisation for a long time," says Thomas Frederking, Commercial Director of Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. "We have updated our Code of Conduct, organised selection and recruitment processes in a more diversity-sensitive way and are currently revising the processes for conflict management. We have also taken a close look at our work and leadership culture and will establish corresponding guidelines. Many HZB employees contributed ideas during the diversity audit, which we are particularly pleased about."
"We are very glad that the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin is the first non-university research institution to receive the Stifterverband certificate 'Shaping Diversity'. After all, dealing with diversity remains one of the major development tasks in the entire scientific landscape," explains Volker Meyer-Guckel, Deputy Secretary General of the Stifterverband. "More and more institutions are realising that a diversity-friendly culture strengthens employee satisfaction and performance. The innovative power of an institution can be increased through different perspectives and experiences of all employees."
Since 2013, the Stifterverband has offered the diversity audit "Shaping Diversity" to universities as a service. Since then, more than 50 universities have successfully participated. Originally developed for universities, the audit was piloted for non-university research institutions in cooperation with the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin.
- 83 pupils at Girls'Day at HZBOn 23 April 2026, the annual Girl’s Day took place, giving pupils an insight into various career paths in the fields of science and technology. 83 pupils visited the Adlershof and Wannsee sites and enjoyed a day full of exciting experiments.
- Electrocatalysts: New model for charge separation at the solid-liquid interfaceHydrogen is at the heart of the transition to carbon neutrality, as both an energy carrier and a reagent for green chemistry. However, large-scale production of hydrogen via electrolysis, as well as the production of many other chemical products, requires significantly cheaper and more efficient catalysts. A precise understanding of the electrochemical processes that take place at the interface between the solid catalyst and the liquid medium is highly useful for developing better electrocatalysts. In the journal Nature Communications, an European team has now presented a powerful model that determines charge separation at the interface, the formation of the electric double layer and local electric potential variations, and the resulting influence on the catalytic activity.
- Theory meets practice – We’re heading back to HTW Berlin!The HZB’s BIPV consultancy office (BAIP) is once again coordinating and delivering the lecture series “Building-Integrated Photovoltaics”.