Plain English

Who we are and what we do

The research institute SAFE does research.
This means: We want to know things exactly.

The name SAFE is short for “Sustainable Architecture for Finance in Europe.”

We are part of the Leibniz Association.
This is a group that supports important research.

We do research on money, the economy, and finance.
We study financial markets in Europe.
That means: we look at the rules and processes around money.
We check how banks, companies, and people use money.
We give advice to politicians.

What we want

We want to do very good research.
Very good research is independent.
This means: No influence from politics or companies.
We want everyone to understand the economy better.
We want fair rules for everyone in the economy.
We want financial markets to be safe.

Where We Are

SAFE is in the city of Frankfurt am Main, in Germany.
We work next to the university there.

How old are we?

SAFE exists since the year 2013.
That is more than 10 years.

Who gives us money?

Our money comes from politics and other researchers.
They want us to research important topics.

Who works with us?

Researchers from all over the world work at SAFE.
Other people work at SAFE to help the researchers with their work.

How do you become a researcher?

You need to study.
That means: You go to a university.
There, you learn a lot about a special topic.
After your studies, you can become a researcher.
You need patience for that.
And you need to be curious.