Research performing organisations

Germany is home to around 400 universities. They are one of the most important actors in the German research landscape and pursue top-class research on an international level.

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft currently has 74 institutes and research institutions and is the world's leading organisation for applied research. With its focus on developing key technologies that are vital for the future and enabling the commercial exploitation of this work by business and industry, Fraunhofer plays a central role in the innovation process.

The 18 Helmholtz Centres develop, build and operate complex research infrastructures. This includes accelerator facilities, telescopes, research ships and supercomputers that are available to Helmholtz users from around the world. Helmholtz thus pursues long-term research projects that aim to help find solutions to key challenges facing society, science and business.

The Leibniz Association is the umbrella organisation under which nearly 100 research institutions address scientific problems that have societal and international relevance. They are characterised by the great variety of their research topics in the humanities and social sciences, as well as in the natural and engineering sciences. Leibniz institutions, universities and industry partners work together on interdisciplinary issues in Leibniz Research Alliances and Leibniz ScienceCampi.

A physicist, Nobel laureate and the founder of quantum physics, Max Planck was driven by a desire to research and understand. And this is precisely what the research organisation that bears his name has made its guiding philosophy. The Max Planck Society has been very successful with its top-level basic research: since it was established in 1948, it has produced 20 Nobel laureates, two of which were women.

This is where the leading scholars of our time work together on behalf of society to regularly discuss scientific questions of an interdisciplinary nature. The primary objective of the academies is to coordinate in particular long-term basic research projects, to advise policy-makers and the general public on issues relevant to the future, and to promote interdisciplinary dialogue through symposia and other events.

Germany has around 40 federal research institutions that focus specifically on research issues relevant to politics and government. Their scientists work on fundamental research projects and make up-to-date information available on a service-oriented basis. They compile forecasts to draw attention to future challenges at an early stage, or explore the effects of initiatives that have already been implemented. They therefore provide key scientific findings that Germany’s Federal Government needs for its decision-making processes.  

Germany’s federal states also run research institutions. They provide advice to policymakers, pursue research projects and are responsible for activities required by law, such as approvals, testing and the laying down of regulations. Across Germany there are more than 140 state-level institutions covering a broad range of research areas.

German companies are among the most innovative in Europe. Industry accounts for nearly 70 per cent of research and development investment in Germany – an extremely high proportion.

Research-based companies and independent private research institutes have joined the pool of R&D resources with the aim of carrying out industrial research especially for the SME sector.

Networks and clusters pool the research and development activities of industrial and academic institutions. One primary goal of these alliances is to accelerate the process by which new technologies are brought to the market.

Germany is home to several research infrastructures of global significance. These large-scale facilities include accelerator systems, telescopes, research vessels and supercomputers.