Glossary

Evaluation

The evaluation process is an integral part of the Helmholtz Association’s programme-oriented funding concept. It takes place every five years in all six of the Association’s research areas. 

To Programme-oriented funding

Research Field

The Helmholtz Association's six research areas are: Energy; Earth and Environment; Health; Key Technologies; Structure of Matter; and Aeronautics, Space and Transport. In each of these research fields, scientists develop research programmes that are assessed by international experts. To Research Fields

Research Infrastructure

One of the Helmholtz Association's core scientific competencies is research using large-scale facilities and complex research infrastructures. It also invests its expertise in developing and operating innovative instruments and platforms that can be used for research by the entire scientific community. To Research Infrastructure

Research Programmes

In cooperation with researchers from other institutions and disciplines, scientists at the various Helmholtz Centres set out their proposed objectives within their particular research area in the form of strategic programmes covering the next five years. The scientific merit and strategic relevance of these research programmes are assessed by internationally recognised experts and funding is then allocated in a competitive process.  To Research Programmes

The Tiny Tots Science Corner

The Tiny Tots Science Corner, a nationwide initiative launched by the Helmholtz Association along with the consulting firm McKinsey &Company, Siemens AG and the Dietmar Hopp Foundation, aims to encourage interest in science and technology from an early age by providing children in day care centres all over Germany with hands-on experience.   To Website " The Tiny Tots Science Corner"

Helmholtz Virtual Institutes

Helmholtz Virtual Institutes work across different locations, disciplines and institutions to pool the expertise concentrated in universities and various Helmholtz Centres and harness it to specific research goals. The number of participating institutions varies depending on the particular research objective in question, but usually lies between three and four.  To Helmholtz Virtual Institutes

Helmholtz Management Academy

The Helmholtz Management Academy was established to allow talented Helmholtz Association scientists and employees in administration to acquire the specific management and leadership skills they need as well as the relevant qualifications for executive positions in science management.  To Helmholtz Management Academy  

Helmholtz Alliances

Helmholtz Alliances consist of researchers from Helmholtz Centres, universities and companies, who join forces in order to be able to work more effectively at international level, achieve strategic goals and promote structural innovations. Alliances can receive up to €5 million in funding per year, half of which is provided by the Impulse and Networking Fund and half by the partner consortium. To Helmholtz Alliances

Helmholtz Graduate Schools

Helmholtz Graduate Schools provide a roof under which a varied number of curricula in different fields, or across disciplines, can find a home, depending on the size and nature of the research centre. To Helmholtz Graduate Schools

Helmholtz Research Schools

Helmholtz Research Schools are smaller research units set up in collaboration with universities. Their purpose is to enable outstanding doctoral students to work together on specific topics and thereby contribute to partner projects between Helmholtz Centres and universities.  To Helmholtz Research Schools

Helmholtz Mentoring Programme

The Helmholtz Mentoring Programme aims to prepare highly motivated young women working in science and administration for executive-level positions requiring management and leadership skills, and help them forge a strong network of contacts within the Helmholtz Association and beyond. To Helmholtz Mentoring Programme

Helmholtz Young Investigators Groups

A core element in the Helmholtz Association's strategy for promoting outstanding young scientists is that selected applicants can lead their own team, while at the same time acquiring the skills needed for a university career. To Helmholtz Young Investigators Groups

Hermann von Helmholtz

Hermann von Helmholtz was one of the most important scientists of the 19th century. His work symbolises the great diversity of scientific research conducted by the Helmholtz Association and its orientation towards practical technological applications. Helmholtz was one of the last true polymaths. He advocated an approach to science that bridge the gaps between medicine, physics and chemistry, and his groundbreaking research and development work combined theory, experimentation and practical application. To Hermann von Helmholtz

To The Initiative and Networking Fund (IVF)

The Initiative and Networking Fund (IVF) is an additional funding instrument that allows the Association to provide financial impetus for initiatives where strategic research goals need to be reached particularly urgently. It aims to help new research projects get underway as quickly as possible with a minimum of bureaucracy, and to drive forward structural innovations, such as tighter-knit collaborations with partner institutions in Germany and abroad.en Nachwuchs zu entwickeln sowie die Chancengleichheit zu verwirklichen.

To The Initiative and Networking Fund (IVF)

Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation

The Helmholtz Association is a partner in the Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation launched by Germany's federal and state governments. As such, it is committed to more closely involving universities in its research, to developing a variety of funding instruments to support aspiring young scientists and to creating equal opportunities. To Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation

Programme-oriented funding

The Helmholtz Association is a partner in the Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation launched by Germany's federal and state governments. As such, it is committed to more closely involving universities in its research, to developing a variety of funding instruments to support aspiring young scientists and to creating equal opportunities. To Programme-oriented funding

Helmholtz School Labs Network

The Helmholtz Association also aims to increase children and teenagers' enthusiasm for science and technology before they decide on their career paths. The School Labs Network is a successful example of this. Now firmly established across 23 locations across Germany, the network welcomes 40,000 school-age children every year. To Helmholtz School Labs