Research

PIK was founded in 1992 with a structure comprising five disciplinary departments, which concentrated on a range of core projects with global, regional or sectoral focus.

To strengthen interdisciplinary co-operation, the "ToPIK process" was launched in 2000. In this, the interplay between the specific departments and the scientific projects was organised according to a matrix structure.

Since science has today outgrown the stage of simply analysing climate change and needs to face the challenge of forging solutions, PIK is entering a new transdisciplinary phase.

Natural and social scientists at the institute will collaborate with one another in four outcome-oriented research domains with the aim of providing society with robust options to deal with climate change. For not much time is left to still avoid the unmanageable, and to safely manage the unavoidable.

Yet however pressing the research agenda, maintaining scientific excellence will remain central in all the institute's activities.