The ZIS was founded in 2000 as an interdisciplinary research centre of the University of Hamburg and has since established itself as one of the leading research centers in addiction science in Germany. It combines the expertise and research resources of 7 departments: four medical departments at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Forensic Medicine; Medical Psychology; Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene) and three social science departments at the University of Hamburg (Social and Political Science; Sociology; Criminological Social Science).
