The RKI as employer

Practised responsibility

As Germany's most important public health institute, we are actively committed to public health. We research infectious diseases and monitor health developments in the population. Together we can achieve a lot - and our employees bear a great responsibility towards the state and society. What we are doing makes a difference.

Research excellence

Our heart is in science. Independent, high-quality and in the service of the public. In doing so, we conduct world-class research. This is only possible if we all pull together. Our employees’ matter, whether they are actively conducting research or ensuring that processes run smoothly. At the RKI, we rely on our employees, they are the key to our success.

We are stronger as a team

We value respectful colleagueship because we are united by a common goal: the protection of public health. And the complex day-to-day challenges can rarely be mastered alone. Whether in research or in administrative processes, we work in interdisciplinary teams and give each other a helping hand. We count on each other at the RKI.

Individual, flexible and family-friendly

Life is colourful: work, family, friends and free time are equally relevant. At the RKI, we therefore offer working time models that allow everyone to find the right balance between work and private life. This naturally includes the possibility of mobile working. And if life circumstances ever change, we work together to find new solutions that are suitable for different phases of life.

At the RKI, however, we are not only committed to demographic diversity, but to diversity in all its facets. We welcome all people in all dimensions of diversity.

Together we grow

Without the commitment and expertise of our employees, the RKI would not have become what it is today. It is therefore very important to us that our employees develop together with us. We promote the professional development of our employees through a wide range of training and development opportunities, with customised activities, tailor-made training programmes and individual qualifications.

Modern research equipment

To do world-class research, you do not only need good employees, but also excellent research equipment. From Germany's most modern high-security laboratory to a high-performance computer cluster, we offer the equipment for excellent research. In this way, we guarantee that our employees can concentrate on their tasks unimpaired.

National roots - international perspective

In a globalised world, national health protection cannot be achieved without international cooperation. And even though we, as the Public Health Institute of the Federal Republic of Germany, are rooted in Germany, we opened up to the world early on and are now an important part of many international networks. Public health must know no borders, neither in research nor for the RKI.

Moving with time

Progress for us is a matter of course. Since the foundation of the Institute, many things have changed. One thing, however, has always remained the same: our aspiration to learn, to evolve and to be open to the changes of the times. As one of the oldest biomedical research institutes in the world, we are now a pioneering institute in many aspects of public health research.