Consultancy
Since 2014, Dr Backes serves on the managing board of the , since 2015 as its Vice-Chair and since 2023 as its Chair. He is member of the Collaboration Board and Steering Committee of the since 2015 and also serves on the Steering Committee of the . Further, from 2019 to 2021, he was a member of the South African Time Allocation Committee (), which he chaired from 2020 onwards. Since (re-elected in ), he was a Member of the of the .