Optimum structures for research

The organisation of the DAI reflects its research mission in combining regional and disciplinary expertise. The DAI comprises eleven large units: the head office in Berlin, three commissions in Bonn, Frankfurt and Munich and seven departments in Athens, Berlin, Cairo, Istanbul, Madrid and Rome. There are currently five branches affiliated with these departments and commissions – in Tehran, Sana'a, Baghdad, Damascus and Beijing. The DAI has other important, though not permanently staffed research facilities in Lisbon and Ulaanbaatar. Its global research infrastructure includes, finally, individual offices like the one in Aksum, Ethiopia, and dig houses maintained at several sites. Cooperation in the joint implementation of projects exists with the German Protestant Institute (DEI) in Jerusalem and Amman. Since 2005 the DEI has been "simultaneously a research unit of the German Archaeological Institute". Thanks to its adaptable structures and research programmes the DAI is able to react flexibly to new challenges in the world of science and in cultural policy.

A research institution under the remit of the Foreign Office

In view of its importance to German foreign policy in the area of culture, education and scientific research, the DAI is a federal institution under the remit of the Foreign Office – a tradition that reaches back to 1874.

Facts and figures

The personnel of the DAI numbers between 350-400 on average. Some 70-100 of these positions are financed by third-party funds. On top of that, about 200 students and junior researchers take part every year in DAI excavations.

The DAI budget is included in Section 05 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, approved annually with the federal budget and published on the website of the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF). The total budget incl. rent expenditure connected with standard property management and outlay for specific construction projects is approx. 30 million euros. Of this, about 6 million euros is allocated to the research budget. On average, third-party funding in recent years has equalled the sum of the research budget. 

Doctoral programmes and joint research projects

The DAI is currently involved in the following structured doctoral programmes at German universities:

 

With cooperation being the watchword throughout the scientific community in Germany today, the DAI plays different roles in application submission: the responsible applicant can be either the Institute or a cooperation partner. The DAI is currently involved in the following large-scale joint research projects:

European Union

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)

Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)