Verein zur F??rderung eines Deutschen Forschungsnetzes. Deutsches Forschungsnetz, usually abbreviated to DFN, is the German national research and education network (NREN) used for academic and research purposes. It is managed by the scientific community organized in the voluntary Association to Promote a German Education and Research Network which was founded in 1984 by universities, non-university research institutions and research-oriented companies to stimulate computerized communication in Germany.