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title: Structure and Governance
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excerpt:
  Overview of HIFIS Structure and Governance.
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<p>
Helmholtz Federated IT Services (HIFIS) is one of the five overarching platforms in the context of the <a href="https://www.helmholtz.de/en/research/information-data-science/helmholtz-incubator/">Helmholtz Information
&amp; Data Science
Incubator</a>.</p><p>
11 out of 18 Helmholtz centres are members of HIFIS.
See <a href="{% link team.md %}"> here for an overview on our team</a>.</p>


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        <h1 id="Structure">Internal Structure</h1>

        <h4 id="competence-clusters">Competence Clusters</h3>
        <p>HIFIS works in three Competence Clusters which are distributed throughout different
            Helmholtz research centers:</p>
        <ul>
            <li><strong><a href="{% link services/index.md %}#cloud">Cloud Services</a>:</strong> Federated platform for proven first
                class cloud services.
                Lead: <a href="https://www.helmholtz-berlin.de/">HZB</a>.</li>
            <li><strong><a href="{% link services/index.md %}#backbone">Backbone Services</a>:</strong> High-performance trusted
                network infrastructure with
                unified basic services. Lead: <a href="https://www.desy.de/">DESY</a>.</li>
            <li><strong><a href="{% link services/index.md %}#software">Software Services</a>:</strong> Platform, training and support
                for high-quality,
                sustainable software development. Lead: <a href="https://www.hzdr.de/">HZDR</a>.</li>
        </ul>

        <p style="text-align:center;">
        <img alt="Overview on the three HIFIS competence clusters"
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            <h4 id="ict-office">ICT Office</h3>
        <p>All competence clusters are connected through the HIFIS ICT Office. 
            It guarantees the technical and organisational coordination as well as the controlling and
            reporting for HIFIS.
            It also defines the interface to comparable external committees, as already existent in e.g. FhG or MPG.
            </p>

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        <h1 id="governance-and-supervision">Governance and Supervision</h1>
        <p>To ensure that HIFIS’s progress and strategy is consistent with the common principles of the Helmholtz
            Association,
            Reporting, Governance and an external Scientific Advisory Board are central.</p>

        

        <h3 id="ict-federation-board">ICT Federation Board</h3>
        <p>The Assembly of Members of the Helmholtz Association has installed the ICT Federation Board (Steering Board).
            It is responsible for central decisions in HIFIS.