As an expression of the corporation culture the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft operates a Compliance Management System. Compliance requires adhering to the relevant legal requirements and internal regulations defined in the articles of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. This forms an important basis for our corporate success. The goal of Compliance is to provide the transparent and responsible protection for our organization and its employees. The assurance of compliance with the legal directives and guidelines form the basis of our corporate activity.

In 2009 the German Federal Ministry of Finance released the "Principles of good corporate and investment management for the government sector", which set recommendations in the form of the Public Corporate Governance Code (PCGK) for companies with the participation of the government. In 2010 the Executive Board of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft decided to introduce the Fraunhofer Compliance Management System as part of the improvement of its controlling system. Compliance, understood as "regulatory compliance" in the traditional sense, means for the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft to act responsibly and value-oriented when dealing with the employees as well as in cooperation with the business partners. By systematically considering the topic "Regulations and Compliance", the executive board fulfills its responsibility to ensure the working legal system.

The Compliance Office is the central point of contact within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft for questions concerning the Compliance Management System. It reports annually to the Executive Board about the relevant topics and planned measures on the issues of compliance. The Compliance Office is supported by the Compliance Committee, which consists of representatives of the institutes and the executive board as well as of other executives. (Source: Sustainability Report of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft 2013, p. 61)

In addition to its mission, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has published the Declaration to Third Parties relating to Project Business, which describes the essential principles of ensuring the quality of the cooperation of dealing with business partners and staff, and contains basics of social responsibility. Please find detailed information here.

In addition to adhering to the basic principles for ensuring good scientific practice and the necessary standards, Fraunhofer UMSICHT is following its own guidelines along with the guidelines of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, which provide ethical guidelines for our project work.