Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Informationsdienst Wissenschaft, commonly known as idw, is a German science information service and registered charitable association that connects research and teaching institutions with journalists and the wider public. Its central online platform aggregates press releases, research-related announcements and event information from universities, universities of applied sciences, government and nongovernmental research organizations, and other institutions involved in supporting science or scientific administration. By bringing these materials together in one searchable service, idw has become an important source for German-language science news and a communications channel for institutions that want their work to reach the media. The service originated in the mid-1990s from an idea focused on helping journalists locate appropriate experts. Its development drew on the model of the American ProfNet network. Press officers from the University of Bayreuth, Ruhr University Bochum and Clausthal University of Technology worked with the computing centre of Clausthal University of Technology to design a German-language network using emerging online technologies. The technical and editorial work was carried out by staff in the participating institutions, with the original concept combining an expert-contact network with a broader distribution platform for institutional science communications. During its initial development from 1996 to 1999, idw received project support from Germany's Federal Ministry for Education and Research. Technical development was also supported by the ministry and the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft. The organization became economically independent in 2000 and was organized as a registered charitable association in 2002. Its continuing operating model is based principally on contributions from member institutions rather than on charging the public for access. idw provides its information free of charge through its website, configurable RSS feeds and email subscriptions. Its publicly accessible services include a current news ticker, a news application, a science calendar, an archive containing more than 480,000 press releases, and a directory of participating institutions. Journalists receive additional tools, including the idw expert finder, which is intended specifically for media use, as well as access to a science photography database. Member press offices can distribute announcements and event details through the platform and use the service as part of their media-relations work. The organization has two broad aims: to give the public a comprehensive view of science in the German-speaking region and to create a close communications network among participating institutions. Although its core audience and content are German-speaking, foreign journalists and institutions, particularly elsewhere in Europe, also use the platform. In addition to its aggregation and distribution functions, idw has contributed to professional recognition in science communication since 2009 through its annual idw Award for Science Communication, which honors an outstanding press release from the preceding year. In November 2022, idw expanded its digital presence by opening wisskomm.social, a Mastodon instance named after the German term for science communication. By June 2025, the service reported more than 45,000 regular subscribers, including approximately 9,800 journalists, while more than 1,000 institutions were publishing press releases and event information through the network. idw therefore operates less like a conventional commercial media brand than as shared communications infrastructure for the research community, science journalists and interested members of the public.

Informationsdienst Wissenschaft emerged in the 1990s as an attempt to improve the connection between scientific experts, institutional press offices and journalists in Germany. The initial concept was inspired by ProfNet, an American service designed to help journalists identify and contact relevant experts. Press officers at the University of Bayreuth, Ruhr University Bochum and Clausthal University of Technology collaborated with the computing centre at Clausthal University of Technology to adapt the idea to a German-language research environment. The project was developed at a time when electronic networks and online publishing were beginning to change how universities and research organizations communicated with the media. Rather than creating a conventional newsroom, the participating institutions designed a shared platform through which research organizations could distribute press information and journalists could find experts and current topics across institutional boundaries. Staff in Bayreuth, Bochum and Clausthal were involved in software development, user support and editorial operations. The initial development period ran from 1996 to 1999 and was supported by project funding from Germany's Federal Ministry for Education and Research. The ministry, together with the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft, also supported the technical development of the service. This backing helped establish idw as a sector-wide communications infrastructure rather than as a single university's press office. Once the development phase ended, idw became economically independent in 2000. In 2002 it adopted the legal form of a registered charitable association, Informationsdienst Wissenschaft e.V. The platform's scope expanded beyond expert matching. It began aggregating press releases and event notices from a broad membership that included universities, technical and applied-science institutions, public and private research bodies, and organizations supporting research or scientific administration. The resulting service offered journalists a central source for German-language science information while giving member institutions a common distribution channel. Public users could access the material without charge through the website, email subscriptions or individually configured RSS feeds. Over time, idw added and maintained several complementary services. These included a current news ticker, a science calendar, a searchable archive of press releases, a directory of participating institutions, a journalist-oriented expert finder and a database of science photographs. The organization also developed a role in promoting standards and visibility for science communication. Since 2009, its annual idw Award for Science Communication has recognized what it considers the best press release of the previous year. idw has worked with other science-communication organizations, including Wissenschaft im Dialog, and has attracted use beyond Germany. Its principal content and audience remain German-speaking, but foreign journalists and institutions, especially from other European countries, also use the network. The service's institutional model is based on membership contributions, while access for readers and journalists remains free. A notable later development was the creation of wisskomm.social in November 2022. The Mastodon instance extended idw's activities into a decentralized social-media environment focused on science communication. By June 2025, idw described its network as serving more than 45,000 subscribers, including around 9,800 journalists, and more than 1,000 publishing institutions. Its development illustrates the transition from a specialized expert-contact concept into a broad digital platform for the distribution, discovery and discussion of science news.

• 2025

  Reported network scale

  [1]Informationsdienst Wissenschaften.wikipedia.org

  idw reports more than 45,000 subscribers, including about 9,800 journalists, and more than 1,000 participating institutions.

• 2022

  wisskomm.social opens

  [1]Informationsdienst Wissenschaften.wikipedia.org

  idw launches a Mastodon instance dedicated to science communication.

• 2009

  Launch of the idw Award for Science Communication

  [1]Informationsdienst Wissenschaften.wikipedia.org

  idw begins awarding an annual prize for the strongest science press release of the preceding year.

• 2002

  Formation as a registered charitable association

  [1]Informationsdienst Wissenschaften.wikipedia.org

  The organization is structured as Informationsdienst Wissenschaft e.V., a registered charitable association.

• 2000

  Economic independence

  [1]Informationsdienst Wissenschaften.wikipedia.org

  idw becomes economically independent and continues operating through contributions from participating institutions.

• 1999

  End of initial project-development phase

  [1]Informationsdienst Wissenschaften.wikipedia.org

  The first publicly supported development period concludes after project and technical support from the Federal Ministry for Education and Research and the Stifterverband.

• 1996

  Initial idw development begins

  [1]Informationsdienst Wissenschaften.wikipedia.org

  Universities in Bayreuth and Bochum, Clausthal University of Technology and the Clausthal computing centre begin developing a German-language science information and expert-contact network.

A free, independent and institution-supported information network that links German-speaking research organizations with journalists and the public.

• Science information platform · 1996

  idw-online.de

  The core idw platform aggregates press releases, research announcements and event information from a large network of German and international research-related institutions. It provides free public access and serves as a centralized discovery point for science journalists, researchers and the general public.

• Journalist expert-matching service · 1996

  idw Expert Finder

  The expert finder helps journalists identify and contact suitable scientific specialists. It reflects idw's original purpose, which was to create a German-language network modeled in part on ProfNet and to make expert access more efficient for media organizations.

• Event information service

  Science calendar

  The science calendar collects dates and details for relevant lectures, conferences, briefings and other events supplied by member institutions. It gives journalists and the public a structured overview of upcoming science-related activity.

• Searchable information archive

  Press-release archive

  The archive preserves and makes searchable a large body of institutional science communications. The service is described as containing more than 480,000 press releases, allowing users to research previous announcements as well as follow current news.

• Science communication award · 2009

  idw Award for Science Communication

  Established in 2009, the annual award recognizes an exemplary science press release from the previous year. It gives visibility to effective institutional communication and supports idw's broader role in promoting quality science journalism and public communication.

• Mastodon social network · 2022

  wisskomm.social

  wisskomm.social is a Mastodon instance opened by idw for discussion and exchange around science communication. Its creation extended the organization's presence beyond its traditional website, archive and subscription channels into decentralized social media.

• 2022

  Creation of the wisskomm.social Mastodon instanceProduct launch

  Background

  idw sought to extend its science-communication network into a decentralized social-media environment.

  Action taken

  The organization opened wisskomm.social, a Mastodon instance focused on science communication.

  Aftermath

  The launch added a social and community-oriented channel to idw's established web, email, RSS and expert-contact services.

  Source

1. 1Informationsdienst Wissenschaften.wikipedia.org
2. 2Informationsdienst Wissenschaft official websiteidw-online.de