Non-university Research Institutions

The federal government supports non-university institutions in health research, among other fields, where it is necessary to undertake interregional and national tasks, realise long-term research tasks or support research that requires a specific and expensive infrastructure and where it is necessary to develop key technologies.

The main actors among the non-university research institutions supported with public funds are the Max Planck Society (MPG), the Fraunhofer Society (FhG), the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (HGF) and the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Scientific Association (WGL).

The institutions are funded jointly by the federal and state governments within the framework of the institutional funding according to various financing plans. The goal is to secure the competence and strategic orientation of (health) research in Germany.