image: Christine Vogler (center), Equal Opportunities Officer at Leibniz-HKI, accepted the TOTAL E-QUALITY award and the Sustainability Award. Left: Ulla Weber, Chair of the Board of TOTAL E-QUALITY Deutschland and Central Equal Opportunities Officer at the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Sciences. Right: Maresa Feldmann, Equal Opportunities Officer for the City of Dortmund and member of the Board of TOTAL E-QUALITY Deutschland e. V.
Credit: Michael Voigt, TOTAL E-QUALITY Deutschland e. V.
The award for the years 2025 to 2027 recognizes the Leibniz-HKI’s commitment to a sustainable, equitable, and inclusive research culture. “The fact that we have received this rating for the fifth time and have now also been awarded the Sustainability Prize shows that our long-term measures for greater diversity are having an effect,” says Christine Vogler, Equal Opportunities Officer at Leibniz-HKI. “For us, equal opportunities is not a one-off project, but an integral part of our institute’s identity, which we will continue to pursue with determination.”
The TOTAL E-QUALITY award is presented annually by the association TOTAL-E-QUALITY Deutschland e. V. and is valid for three years. In its statement, the jury praised the Leibniz HKI’s equal opportunity-oriented personnel and organizational policy, which excellently fulfills the TOTAL E-QUALITY standards in all areas of activity. Particular emphasis was placed on the comprehensive equality strategy, which is both structurally anchored at Leibniz-HKI and encompasses an inclusive organizational culture. The institute’s equality goals are regularly reviewed by the Leibniz Association as part of external evaluations.
Among the measures that particularly distinguish Leibniz-HKI are the workshop series “Female Empowerment@Leibniz-HKI,” which specifically supports postdoctoral women in their career development on topics such as mental load and conflict management and is supplemented by individual career counseling and networking meetings, as well as the book club “Science meets Society,” which draws attention to topics such as gender equality, diversity, and discrimination in science and reflects the Leibniz-HKI’s socio-political commitment to equal opportunities. The book club, which is organized in collaboration with the Cluster of Excellence “Balance of the Microverse”, aims to promote open exchange among employees on socially relevant topics and to advance the development of an inclusive and reflective organizational culture.
The Leibniz-HKI is also actively involved in promoting girls and young women in STEM careers, for example by participating in Girls’ Day (Forsche Schüler-Tag) and through a wide range of public relations work on women in science through portraits, events, and a presence on social media.
Around 450 people work at the Leibniz-HKI, slightly more than half of whom are women. One-third of all employees come from abroad. Gender parity prevails at all levels in the scientific field. Even the highest management positions are filled in a gender-equitable manner. In administration and technology, the proportion of women is as high as 64%.
This year’s TOTAL E-QUALITY award ceremony was held under the motto “HERE TO STAY” and focused on the factors for successful, diversity-friendly onboarding and long-term employee retention. Nationwide, 61 organizations from business, science, and administration were honored, including numerous institutes of the Leibniz Association.