Helmholtz KLIMA: Building Bridges from Science to Politics

As Germany’s largest research association, Helmholtz has unique responsibilities: to spur on the transformation to climate neutrality, while also developing methods for climate change adaptation. At the same time, our expertise and innovative solutions should inform political processes. With this goal in mind, we created the dialogue platform Helmholtz KLIMA, which focuses on exchanges between the political and scientific communities on climate-relevant questions.

All 18 of our Helmholtz Centers contribute to Helmholtz KLIMA. The dialogue platform addresses topical societal and political debates, directs interested parties to the relevant expertise from the respective Centers, and brings together researchers and political decision-makers, e.g. through parliamentary events and background talks.

In this way, Helmholtz KLIMA maintains a stable and vibrant network composed of Helmholtz experts, research and technological partners, and political decision-makers. In addition, the expert database at www.helmholtz-klima.de can be used to find the most prominent experts for any given topic, each of which is represented by a straightforward profile. In addition, Helmholtz KLIMA provides political and media training for our experts, equipping them to take part in political hearings and talk shows.

Lastly, Helmholtz KLIMA can draw on the findings of the Helmholtz Climate Initiative (2019 – 2024), in the course of which researchers from 15 Helmholtz Centers devised strategies for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and adapting to unavoidable climate change impacts.