The Academy for Islam in Research and Society (AIWG) is a university platform for research and communication on specialist Islamic-theological questions and social issues. It facilitates supra-regional collaborations and interaction amongst researchers in Islamic-Theological Studies and neighbouring subjects as well as with actors in Muslim civil society and other sectors of society.
The AIWG has three objectives:
Research: The AIWG seeks to help consolidate Islamic-Theological Studies within the German academic system. To achieve this, the institute facilitates cross-locational, interdisciplinary cooperation on various research initiatives.
Interaction: The AIWG strives to intensify the interaction between Islamic-Theological Studies, Muslim civil society and other sectors of society. It seeks to develop solutions by incorporating different perspectives on social issues.
Facts: The AIWG seeks to place public discourse on Islam on a factual basis by publishing expert opinions and providing access to experts on Islam-related topics.
The structure of the AIWG:
The AIWG Office is situated at the Goethe University Frankfurt. Its central decision-making body is the Academy Board, and all of the cooperating university institutions for Islamic-Theological Studies in Germany are represented there. Moreover, the Academy Board includes members from other disciplines as well as experts from Muslim civil society.
The Academy Council is comprised of representatives from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Mercator Foundation and Goethe University Frankfurt.
Funding for the AIWG is provided by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Mercator Foundation until 2022. The BMBF provides the Academy with up to 8.5 million euros for its research formats; the Mercator Foundation funds the Academy’s communication formats to the tune of up to 2.8 million euros.
The Federal Foreign Office supports the main activities of the International Programme of the AIWG.