The governing board has 11 members: 

1. two representatives each from the German government and the state of Lower Saxony; they can be represented by members of their administrations;
2. the chairman of the Science Committee as a permanent member; representation is possible;
3. a representative of a university;
4. two representatives of the "National/state geosciences committee" (excluding the German government and the home state);
5. a representative from the "Circle of directors of the state geological surveys and the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources" (excluding the German government and the home state);
6. a personality from the industrial sphere;
7. a personality from the geoscientific sphere.