HelmholtzGemeinschaft

The Helmholtz Association, officially the Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren, is Germany’s largest non-university scientific organization. It brings together more than a dozen autonomous research centers and numerous facilities to pursue long-term, mission-oriented research. Its work spans a broad range of disciplines and aims to address major societal challenges, including energy supply, climate and environment, health, matter, and information technologies.

The organization is funded jointly by the German federal government and the Länder (states). Centers operate with a high degree of autonomy but are coordinated through the association’s strategic governance structures, which set common research priorities, allocate resources, and supervise quality and impact. The Helmholtz Association emphasizes cross-disciplinary collaboration, large-scale facilities, and collaborations with universities, other research institutions, and industry. It also prioritizes the training of early career researchers and the translation of scientific results into practical applications and policy.

Research within the Helmholtz framework is organized into five fields: Energy; Earth and Environment; Health; Aeronautics, Space and Transport; and Matter. Centers conduct both fundamental and applied research, often operating major national facilities and participating in international projects. The association seeks to strengthen Germany’s innovation ecosystem, enhance science-based decision making, and contribute to global scientific knowledge through openness and collaboration.