Internal Audit
The Internal Audit and Joint Venture Management Department reports directly to the Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board and, with its Auditing Division, forms a key part of our internal control system.
Its independent and objective auditing and advisory function serves to improve internal processes and our work as a whole. In this way, it contributes to our overall strategy. Internal Audit provides information in the form of reports, analyses and assessments and uses these as a basis for drawing up implementation agreements and recommendations.
In addition, Internal Audit is commissioned by the Executive Board and management with individual projects and special tasks as part of internal consulting-mandates. These are designed to create added value for us and improve business processes. As part of the consulting mandates, it is ensured organisationally that the independence of the Internal Audit department is maintained and conflicts of interest are avoided. Our auditing thus follows the line of development from primarily focussing on the past to focussing on the future, from simply identifying deviations and weak points to improving the issues identified.
Our auditing activities are based on open and constructive cooperation and communication with the organisational units to be audited. Tasks, powers, organisational status and the demarcation of duties between audit department and management are codified in our rules of procedure, as is the duty to ensure the quality of our work.
Our audit team is fundamentally generalist in nature, but with specialist knowledge of the individual team members in selected areas of expertise and additional specialisation in the area of technical auditing.
Focal points of our Internal Audit department
- System and organisational audits regarding structural and process issues (set-up and process organisation) as well as compliance with, impact and sustainability of internal requirements
- Audits on economic efficiency, expediency, regularity and safety
- Support and audit of internal control and integrated management systems (e.g. the our risk management system)
- Regularity and cash audits
- Separate audits of our institutes and facilities
- Commissioned special audits by the Executive Board and fulfilment of project tasks and fundamental work
- Participation in internal and external committees
- Audit-independent, internal consultancy services.
The framework conditions for auditing activities at DLR are the relevant professional frameworks and the ISO 9001-certified auditing processes.
DLR is a member of the German Institute of Internal Auditing (DIIR). DLR's internal audit department is an active member of the internal audit working group of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (HGF).