In times of globalisation and limited resources, information and networking between national and international partners have become more and more important - even virtually obligatory - both on operational-scientific and on strategic-political level.
The Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) is the specialist authority for occupational safety and health in the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) in Germany. BAuA occupies on research, development of concepts and methods as well as their implementation, knowledge management and transfer, policy advice as well as on sovereign tasks (e.g. product safety) in the field of occupational safety and health (OSH). All in all, BAuA is a service provider for a wide range of target groups like politicians, employers and employees, trade unions, committees on national and international level to the point of the broad public.

There is a clear demand for better coordination, exchange of information and networking because no single occupational safety and health organisation has all necessary resources to meet the new challenges of a changing world of work. Especially to conduct research on emerging risks (e.g. nanotechnology, psychosocial aspects of work) in the range of occupational safety and health is challenging not only from a scientific point of view but also for resources. These aspects lead to an increased international engagement of BAuA, which is based on an international strategic concept.

Information exchange and networking are the basis for cooperation. Different forms of cooperation exist: they vary from multilateral networks (e.g. PEROSH, NEW OSH ERA, BSN) to information networks (WHO CC, TC OSH) and third party funding. These BAuA activities are listed more in detail. However, the examples only represent an excerpt of the large scale of BAuA's network activities.