The BIT – Business Information Technology Institute in Mannheim, Germany is a computer science and information systems research institute and affiliated with University of Mannheim. Under the leadership of Franz Steffens, president of the Institute, BIT employs a staff of about 20 researchers. The BIT was established in Mannheim in 2007 and is still headquartered there. BIT is organized as a research group within the University of Mannheim and belongs to the Mannheim School of Computer Science and Mathematics. The institute addresses standard business application software and perceives itself as a mediator between science and enterprise practice.