Whistleblower system of the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Protect the University from criminal acts and damaging behaviour
The University of Göttingen works with high quality standards in research, teaching and services.Behaviour that is detrimental to the institution, violations of rules or criminal acts are not compatible with this claim, as they endanger or violate the reputation and values of the University - and in many cases also cause material damage.
If you therefore suspect criminal acts or damaging behaviour, the university asks you to report this. As a rule, you should pass the report on to your line manager or supervisor. However, there are cases in which these channels are not possible or do not seem advisable, for example because supervisors or managers are themselves involved in the incidents.
In this case, you have the option of using already established reporting channels and institutions for special concerns that have previously investigated breaches of regulations and provided advice (e.g. Ombuds Office for Good Scientific Practice, Data Protection and Data Security Officer, Equal Opportunities Officer).
In addition, you now have the option of reporting your suspicions directly via the university's whistleblowing system, either with your name or anonymously. The option of anonymous reporting protects you from possible repressive measures. The information passed on will be treated in strict confidence.
Legal background and service agreements
The ‘Act for Better Protection of Whistleblowers’ (Whistleblower Protection Act - HinschG) came into force on 3 June 2023. The University has concluded two service agreements with the Staff Council for the use of the whistleblower portal and the handling of whistleblowing reports, and has put in place more detailed rules on the procedure. These can be found in the Official Notices I No. 36/2023 of the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen.External hosting of a whistleblower portal
The portal operated by the external service provider VISPATO can be reached at the address whistleblowing.uni-goettingen.de. There you will find further information, including information on your protection.You can increase this protection by not clicking on the link directly, but by using the URL
and pasting it into the address list of your browser so that the click is not recorded in the log system of the university web server and by doing this outside the university network.
The Federal Government's external reporting centre at the Federal Office of Justice also accepts reports of potential misconduct.
The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) – https://anti-fraud.ec.europa.eu/olaf-and-you/report-fraud_de – receives reports in the event of fraud or irregularities with potentially negative consequences for EU funds.