Study and research in Germany

German Research Institutions at a Glance

This page gives you a brief overview of the most important research institutions and research funding bodies in Germany. It will provide you with key details, such as Profile, Roles and Goals, about the following institutions at a glance.

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FhG)
Hansastraße 27c
D-80686 München
Germany
www.fraunhofer.de 

Year of Establishment: 
The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft was founded in 1949 to engage in the practical application of scientific insights and technological know-how.

Mission:
The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft performs applications-orientated research of direct gain to industry and of wider benefit to society. Its contracting partners and clients come from industry, the service sector and the public sector. More than 80 research institutes are operating throughout Germany at more than 40 locations. Some 15,000 staff, predominantly scientists and engineers, work with an annual research budget of more than a billion euros. Of these, more than 900 million euros is generated through contract research. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft earns around two thirds of this research revenue through industrial contracts and publicly financed research projects. The federal and state governments only contribute one third of the budget to enable the institutes to prepare problem solutions that will become relevant to industry and society in five or ten years.

Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren (HGF)
Ahrstraße 45
D-53175 Bonn
Germany
www.helmholtz.de  

Year of Establishment:
Originally founded in 1970, renamed as Helmholtz in 1995, restructured in 2001 as a registered association

Organisational Structure:
A registered association with 16 legally independent Member Centres located throughout Germany. Programme-oriented funding. Scientists develop research programmes for each of the 6 Research Fields. These programmes are reviewed by experts from all around the world, with the results providing a basis for the funding decision. The budget of more than 2.8 billion euros is largely financed by the public sector, whereby the German government contributes 90% and the Federal States 10%. A 30% share of the budget comes from third-party and external funding.

President: Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Jürgen Mlynek

Tasks and Objectives:
The Helmholtz Association contributes to solving the grand challenges that face society, science and industry by performing top-rate research. We research systems of great complexity with our large-scale facilities and scientific infrastructure, and in close cooperation with national and international partners. We contribute to shaping our future by combining research and technology development with perspectives for innovative applications and provisions for tomorrow's world.

Priorities:
Research Fields: Energy, Earth and Environment, Health, Key Technologies, Structure of Matter, Aeronautics, Space and Transport.

Leibniz-Gemeinschaft (WGL)
Eduard-Pflüger-Straße 55
D-53113 Bonn
Germany
www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de

Year of Establishment: 1995

Organisational Structure:
An association of 86 legally and economically independent scientific research institutions and service facilities with an annual budget of more than a billion euros.

President: Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Ernst Th. Rietschel

Tasks and Objectives:
The Leibniz Institutes are demand-orientated, interdisciplinary centres of excellence. They are cooperation partners for industry, the public sector and policymakers. Leibniz engages in particularly close and intensive scientific collaboration with the universities. The research work they perform and the range of services they offer are of national significance and enjoy an excellent reputation around the world.

Priorities:
The Leibniz Institutes conduct interdisciplinary scientific research work in the following areas: Humanities and Education Research; Economics and Social Sciences, Regional Sciences; Life Sciences; Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Engineering; Environmental Research.

The umbrella organisation coordinates the various interests of the affiliated institutes and represents these vis-à-vis the general public. It encourages scientific collaboration, promotes young academics and is responsible for the development of a comprehensive quality assurance system.

Number of Supported People / Projects:
14,000 staff (of which 6,500 academics); the institutes are funded by the federal and state governments.

Highlights:
Quality Assurance System: In a unique process, each institute is reviewed by an independent panel of external experts on a regular basis. The 2003 Communicator Award - Stifterverband Science Award was presented to Anna Wobus, one of the best known stem cell researchers in Germany.

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung
der Wissenschaften e. V. (MPG)
Hofgartenstraße 8
D-80539 München
Germany
www.mpg.de 

Year of Establishment:
The Max Planck Society was founded in 1948 as a successor organisation to the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, which was founded in 1911.

Organisational Structure:
The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science is an independent, non-profit research organisation under private law in the form of a registered association.

President: Prof. Dr. Peter Gruss

Tasks and Objectives:
The primary goal of the Max Planck Society is to promote research at its own institutes.

Priorities:
The research institutes of the Max Planck Society perform basic research in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and the humanities in the interest of the general public. In particular, the Max Planck Society takes up new and innovative research areas that German universities are not in a position to accommodate or deal with adequately.

Number of Supported People / Projects:
More than 13,000 staff work at some 80 institutions, research centres, laboratories and project groups of the Max Planck Society, including more than 4,700 scientists and scholarship holders. In addition, each year sees 11,850 student assistants, doctoral students, postdocs, and visiting scientists come to the Max Planck Society. Around half of these come from abroad.

Highlights:

• 16 Nobel Laureates since 1948
• More than 12,500 scientific publications per year
• 35 MPG researchers are entered in the ISI-List (Institute of Scientific Information) of most cited scientists

Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung (AvH)
Jean-Paul-Straße 12
 D-53173 Bonn
Germany
www.humboldt-foundation.de

Year of Establishment: 1953

Organisational Structure: Non-profit charitable foundation

President: Prof. Dr. Helmut Schwarz

Tasks and Objectives: 
To award research grants and research prizes to highly-qualified postdocs and scientists to finance long-term research stays in Germany and to consolidate academic and cultural contacts.

Priorities:
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is an independent and impartial organisation. Its programmes are open to applicants from all countries and all scientific disciplines.

Number of Supported Persons / Projects :

• Up to 600 research grants per year
• Up to 150 research prizes per year
• Up to 150 scholarships for young German scientists per year
• Further complementary programmes

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
Kennedyallee 40
D-53175 Bonn Germany
www.dfg.de    

Year of Establishment: 
The DFG was established in 1952 following a merger between the Notgemeinschaft der Wissenschaft, founded in 1920, and the Deutscher Forschungsrat.

Organisational Structure:
The DFG is a registered association under civil law. Its members are German universities and non-university research institutions.

Tasks and Objectives:
The DFG is the self-governing organisation of German science. It serves all branches of science and the humanities by funding research projects and promoting cooperation between scientists.

Priorities:
The DFG is dedicated to promoting young scientists and researchers as well as international collaboration in all its programmes.

Number of Supported Persons / Projects: Around 25,000 projects

Highlights:
The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize is highest-valued science prize to be awarded in Germany and aims to improve the working conditions for outstanding scientists and academics. DFG Research Centres represent a key strategic funding instrument and contribute to concentrating scientific research competence in particularly innovative fields and to creating internationally visible research priorities at German universities. The Emmy Noether Programme offers outstanding young researchers aspiring to a career as university teachers the opportunity to acquire the necessary qualifications. Research Training Groups are temporary university training programmes that support young researchers in their endeavours to gain a doctoral degree. International Research Training Groups offer opportunities for engaging in collaborative doctoral training involving a German university group and a partner group at a foreign university.

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