Non-university research

Germany is home to some 1,000 publicly funded research institutions. Alongside universities, four major non-university research institutions in particular form the backbone of the country’s research landscape.

• the Max Planck Society Max Planck Society The Max Planck Society was founded on 26 February 1948 – as the successor to the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften, established in 1911. The 85 Max Planck institutes conduct basic research in the natural, biological and social sciences and in the humanities. The Max… Read more › (MPG)
• the Helmholtz Association Helmholtz Association With 18 research centres, an annual budget of EUR 5.8 billion and more than 43,000 members of staff the Helmholtz Association is Germany’s largest scientific organization. It conducts research into energy, the earth and the environment, health, aerospace, transport, materials and key technologies. … Read more ›
• the Fraunhofer Fraunhofer The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft conducts applied research. Clients include industrial companies and service providers as well as the public sector. More than 30,000 employees are involved in generating the annual research volume of 3 billion euros. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft operates 76 institutes and… Read more › -Gesellschaft
• the Leibniz Association Leibniz Association Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) was one of the last all-round scholars. The scientific range covered by the 97 research institutes is correspondingly broad, extending from the humanities and economics through to mathematics. The focus is on applied basic research. The Leibniz institutes… Read more ›

Founded in 1948, the Max Planck Society Max Planck Society The Max Planck Society was founded on 26 February 1948 – as the successor to the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften, established in 1911. The 85 Max Planck institutes conduct basic research in the natural, biological and social sciences and in the humanities. The Max… Read more › (MPG) is the most important non-university centre of basic research in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences and humanities. Around 7,000 scientists, 3,400 PhD students and 3,200 guest researchers work at the 84 Max Planck institutes and research institutions, some of which are outside Germany. 57.2 percent of its scientists are non-German nationals. Since its establishment, more than 30 Nobel Prizes have been awarded to Max Planck Society researchers.

The Helmholtz Association Helmholtz Association With 18 research centres, an annual budget of EUR 5.8 billion and more than 43,000 members of staff the Helmholtz Association is Germany’s largest scientific organization. It conducts research into energy, the earth and the environment, health, aerospace, transport, materials and key technologies. … Read more › conducts pioneering research in six main fields: energy, earth and environment, health, information, materials, and aeronautics, space and transport. With more than 46,000 employees at the 18 Helmholtz centres, including the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Helmholtz is Germany’s largest research organisation. The Association is planning to set up a new centre for gerontology research.

The Fraunhofer Fraunhofer The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft conducts applied research. Clients include industrial companies and service providers as well as the public sector. More than 30,000 employees are involved in generating the annual research volume of 3 billion euros. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft operates 76 institutes and… Read more › -Gesellschaft has 76 institutes and research institutions across the whole country and is the largest institution for application-oriented development in Europe. Its key research areas include health and the environment, mobility and transport, and energy and fuels. With nine independent Fraunhofer affiliates in Europe, North and South America and Asia, numerous representative offices and its senior advisors, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is active in many countries around the world.

The Leibniz Association Leibniz Association Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) was one of the last all-round scholars. The scientific range covered by the 97 research institutes is correspondingly broad, extending from the humanities and economics through to mathematics. The focus is on applied basic research. The Leibniz institutes… Read more › brings together 97 independent research institutes, with research interests ranging from the natural sciences, engineering and environmental sciences to aerospace engineering, economics, the social sciences and the humanities. An overarching focus for its 12,200 or so researchers is on transferring knowledge to policymakers, business and the general public.

As Europe’s largest research funding association, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) is responsible for funding science, academia and research. The DFG’s headquarters are in Bonn, and it also maintains offices in India, Japan, Latin America and North America, as well as running the Sino-German Center for Research Promotion in Beijing (CDZ). It provides funding for researchers in Germany to collaborate with colleagues abroad - especially but by no means exclusively in the European Research Area.