In the early 1980s as digital media began to change the way in which scientific information and documentation were handled, far-sighted politicians and government officials - well advised by the chemical industry and its professional associations - established a government program to promote information and documentation. As part of this program, FIZ CHEMIE was founded on December 11, 1981. It is organized as a non-profit limited liability company (GmbH). The shareholders are the German federal government, the states and the three German professional associations for chemistry.  

• The federal government, represented by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research ( BMBF)
• The  state of Berlin  (representing all the German federal states)
• GDCh - the German Chemical Society
• DECHEMA - the Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology
• FGK - the Plastics Research Association 

In the shareholders' agreement establishing the company, the new organization was given the following task:

"FIZ CHEMIE has the responsibility for providing or making available scientific and technical information services for chemistry and its related fields as well as to carry out all activities required to accomplish this. To fulfill its responsibilities, FIZ CHEMIE Berlin can acquire or hold an interest in other facilities and information services of the same or similar type."

FIZ CHEMIE has fulfilled this contract since January 1, 1982.