The Board of Trustees is the highest organ of the Foundation. It represents the common interests of the institutes in the German academic system. It decides in all matters of fundamental importance for the Foundation and its development, and monitors the activities of the institutes of the Foundation under legal, expedient and economic aspects. Its tasks comprise i. a.

• Decisions concerning the statute and amendments thereto,
• Adoption of the budget plan,
• Receipt of the report of the annual closure of accounts, the external evaluation reports, the perspective reports of the Academic Advisory Councils as well as the annual report of the Chair of the Board of Trustees, the Institutes’ Directors, as well as the Executive Director,
• Discharge of the President, the Directors of the Institutes and the Executive Director for the closing fiscal year,
• Important personnel decisions,
• Decisions on concepts for the further development of the Foundation.

The Board of Trustees consists of eleven members, including eight academics nominated by various academic organisations and appointed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research for a tenure of four years.