The Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans Bredow Institute (HBI) organizes its research planning across three program areas. It receives core funding for its research and is therefore not solely dependent on third-party funding. This allows it to plan and advance its research projects over the long term.
Program-based research focuses on fundamental questions designed to be addressed over a period of several years. These are addressed through interrelated in-house and externally funded research. Each of these programs is designed to be interdisciplinary and is based on specific guiding questions that are to be answered in a coordinated manner.
The following program areas derive from the Institute’s mission to research the development of public communication in the media society:
- Program Area 1 Social Functions of Communication and Media examines communication processes as the basis and prerequisite for societal self-understanding.
- Program Area 2 Communication Structures and Their Governance examines how communication spaces function, what rules they require, and how they can be shaped in the public interest.
- Program Area 3 Science Communication, Agile Formats, and Library Services provides services for researchers in Program Areas 1 and 2 and for the institute as a whole, as well as for its external network of partners and stakeholders.
The institute effectively combines research into long-term fundamental scientific questions with practical expertise for the fields of politics, business, and civil society. Its work is consistently guided by the standards of scientific excellence and the principle of research independence.
