The Administrative Infrastructure of IKON

The task of the IKON Administrative Infrastructure is to support both management processes and core processes. This includes the support processes for Contract Management, Procurement, Human Resources Management, Corporate Planning and Control, as well as the Legal Department and the Business Informatics and Organization Department, which provide cross-functional processes. IKON’s core processes are its primary business activities in research and development as well as the execution of its tasks.

‘Contract Management’ supports the implementation of those IKON research projects funded by third parties. This support covers the entire process chain beginning with the preparation of proposals and ending with the project/order closeout. In accordance with the ‘one interface with the customer’ principle, the legal and business management of the projects is decentralized and carried out by staff located in the research institutes and/or local Contract Administration Departments at the various IKON sites.

The support process ‘Procurement’ is responsible for the professional conduct of all procurement activities of IKON. This support covers the entire process from the purchase requisition to the release of payment. This process is also decentralized and carried out by staff located at the various IKON sites.

The activities of ‘Human Resource Management’ focus on advice and support in human resources planning, recruitment and employee services, with an emphasis on human resource development. The associated consulting and support activities are performed through an integrated process by both centralized and decentralized human resource units in interaction with the Site Management at the various IKON sites.

‘Resource Planning and Control’ is both a management and support process, and constitutes IKON’s management accounting system. Its main task is to ensure the timely provision as well as the preparation analysis and assessment of all relevant business management information, focused on specific target groups. In the process, ‘Resource Planning and Control’ provides mandatory procedures and methods for all processes and organizational units of IKON.

The cross-functional department ‘Business Informatics and Organization Department’ designs and is responsible for the development and maintenance of IKON’s business information system under federal IT governance. In the area of corporate organization, it advises on the design of processes and structural organization and provides the required tools and methods.

The cross-functional ‘Legal Department’ is IKON’s legal service unit. It covers all internal and external legal matters up to final judicial resolution, unless appropriate specialist lawyers from the support processes and other cross-functional units are in charge of them. It advises its internal clients on legal issues.

The Administrative Infrastructure of IKON is certified in accordance with DIN ISO 9001.