The institute was opened officially on April 16, 1997, with a symposium at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) on Societal Trends, Scientific Responsibility, and Violence.
The work at the Institute is concentrated on theoretical and empirical analyses of both constructive and destructive conflicts and their consequences.
Members of this board are: Gerd Bohner, Heinz-Gerhard Haupt, Wilhelm Heitmeyer, Ralf Kölbel and Jost Reinecke.
Additionally the Institute has an academic advisory board, which ensure the research quality and supervises the scientific work.
Members of the advisory board are: Hans-Jörg Albrecht, Donatella Della Porta, Roland Eckert, Douglas Massey, Steven Messner, Sabine Andresen, Ulrich Wagner and Hans-Ulrich Wehler.