Helmholtz - big questions, big science
in energy, earth and environment, health, key technologies, structure of matter, as well as aeronautics, space and transport
Helmholtz Association - Research without Borders
The Helmholtz Association is the largest scientific organisation in Germany. Our staff conducts forward-looking, socially relevant top-rate research in 17 research centres. We ask the big questions - and make big research a reality.
Our basic research contributes to understanding the complex systems that determine human life and the environment. We focus on six extensive research fields: energy, earth and environment, health, key technologies, structure of matter, as well as aeronautics, space and transport.
The Helmholtz Association offers excellent working conditions and access to unique technologies and research opportunities - all in a large network. Our scientists conduct joint research in particle accelerators and at the German Mouse Clinic, use supercomputers in their calculations, go on expeditions to the polar regions, and construct fusion reactors and tsunami early-warning systems.
Research and work with us
In our research, we take the needs of society into account. Our researchers work on the important and urgent issues facing science, society and industry, and create sustainable foundations that will help to shape the future of each and every one of us. We are tackling the challenges that concern humanity today by researching the energy of tomorrow; by understanding and curing complex diseases; by exploring new fields of technology for science, industry and society; by ensuring mobility in the future; and by conducting research into what holds the world together at its core. Helmholtz helps to master the challenges of today's society and economy.Staff - our most important "resource"
Our excellent and dedicated staff are our most important "resource". We also place high value on efficient infrastructure, access to advanced technologies, and modern research and talent management. We regard networks and scientific exchange as prerequisites for effective research. Our scientists work closely together across research centres and cooperate with external partners as a matter of course. Worldwide exchange programmes and joint projects ensure that research is not only conducted in Berlin, Leipzig and Munich, but also in Chicago, Delhi, Ankara, Moscow and Beijing. Scientific exchange beyond disciplinary, organisational and national borders is what makes our research so productive.Our research: award-winning, advanced, groundbreaking
We invest time and patience in our work and conduct long-term basic research. We spend decades getting to the heart of scientific phenomena. The result? Three Nobel Prizes» in two years for Helmholtz Association scientists.- 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine In 2008 Professor Harald zur Hausen from the German Cancer Research Center, part of the Helmholtz Association, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
- 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics Professor Peter Grünberg from the Helmholtz Forschungszentrum Jülich received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2007.
- 2007 Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Prize Committee awarded the 2007 Peace Prize to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Many Helmholtz scientists contributed to the 2007 IPCC Report.