The Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) in Bochum has been awarded the audit berufundfamilie certificate for the first time. The certificate is regarded as a seal of quality for family-conscious and life-phase-oriented human resources policies and was presented on 18 June 2026 by the Board of Trustees of berufundfamilie Service GmbH.
The certification was based on a structured audit process that examined where employees already receive support in balancing their work at CAIS with responsibilities such as childcare and caring for family members. As part of the audit, strategic objectives and concrete measures were defined and documented in a target agreement, which CAIS will implement gradually over the three-year certification period. berufundfamilie Service GmbH will accompany and evaluate this process annually.
Existing measures at CAIS include flexible working arrangements with flexitime and mobile working options, a parent-child office for childcare bottlenecks, workplace health management initiatives, sports and leisure activities, as well as active structures for equality and employee participation.
“Excellent research depends on people being able to contribute with their full energy. That is only possible when work and private life genuinely fit together. For us, this certificate is both recognition and a commitment: we want to be an institute where all employees feel seen and supported in every phase of life,” said Josephine B. Schmitt, Scientific Coordinator at CAIS, who accepted the certificate.
About CAIS
Since April 2021, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia has been providing long-term funding to the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) in Bochum as a central institute for digitalization research. Through evidence-based solutions, CAIS contributes to shaping digital transformation in the interests of society. At CAIS, disciplines ranging from the social sciences and humanities to computer science are closely interconnected, and research findings are tested in practice.