Research Performing Organisations
The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft conducts applied research for private as well as public enterprises and for the general benefit of the public. It has more than 80 units overall, including 59 Fraunhofer Institutes in Germany, and is the largest organisation for applied research in Europe.
The Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres provides top scientific achievements to society, science and industry to tackle major challenges they are confronted with. The Helmholtz Association is the largest scientific organisation in Germany.
The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Scientific Community (WGL), known as the Leibniz Association, is the umbrella organisation for 86 research institutions which address scientific issues of importance to society as a whole. It stands out for its enormous diversity of themes addressed by the institutes.
The Max Planck Society (MPG) is an independent, non-profit research organisation named after the world-famous physicist Max Planck (1858 - 1947). Primarily, the MPG performs basic research in natural science as well as in humanities, thus complementing research projects at universities.
Germany is home to almost 400 universities providing a variety of disciplines. Academic formation is characterised by a close link between education and research. This principle has a long tradition and was coined by Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767-1835), philosopher and founder of Humboldt University in Berlin.
The key mission of the German academies of science is the co-ordination and support of long-term basic research projects and the development and cultivation of interdisciplinary dialogues. In addition, the academies give advice to society related to general and specific issues of science, including emerging issues.
The Federal Government funds 58 research institutes that the Federal Ministries are in charge of. This departmental research is always directly related to the activity fields of a ministry. Its main task is to support the respective Federal Ministry’s activities and to provide the necessary scientific basis for the execution of sovereign tasks.
The Federal States of Germany (“Länder”) act as research funding bodies, but they also run several research institutions which contribute to supporting the research activities of the Länder. There are more than 100 institutes covering a broad range of research areas.
German companies are among the most innovative in Europe. At 69%, the proportion of industry-based and financed investments in research and development is particularly high. Companies co-operate especially closely in the field of applied research.
The “German Federation of Industrial Research Associations” (AiF) was founded in 1954. As a registered non-profit association, the AiF promotes research and development (R&D) in all industry sectors in favour of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). The association acts at Federal as well as European level.
Over the last few years, the Federal Government has initiated a series of projects aiming at the creation of networks and clusters that promote new technologies. One key aim of these aggregations is to accelerate the process of making new technology products marketable.
Germany is home to several research infrastructures with global significance in physics, earth science, climate research or the humanities. Examples of research infrastructures can be found here.
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