Big Science

The large-scale research (English Big Science ) denotes the outside of universities, some quasi- industrial -powered form of science, which is to a larger extent in the scientific enterprise since about the middle of the 20th century. These include primarily large research institutions, as for example in 1942 with the Manhattan Project (Los Alamos National Laboratory ) were established. But the whole development of scientific practice can be described as a change from the operated by individuals " Little Science" to organized "Big Science" describe how Derek de Solla Price 1963 sets out in Little Science, Big Science and Walther Umstätter for the Internet age as an " assembly-line production of knowledge " means.

The complex large-scale research include sufficient systems for documentation to avoid duplication. Alvin M. Weinberg put to 1963 in the so-called Weinberg Report response prior to the Sputnik shock recommendations for better knowledge transfer.

Large-scale research in Germany

The history of large-scale research in Germany begins in 1911 with the founding of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society (KWG), the forerunner of today's Max Planck Society (MPG). While older institutions of the German Reich as the German Health Authority (1876 ) or the Physikalisch -Technische Reich Institute (1887 ) were perceived to be of central government responsibilities in the health control and standardization, stood at the foundation of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society research and industrial policy interests priority.

The foundation under the influence of Friedrich Althoff, Ministerial Director of the Prussian Ministry of Culture, marks the beginning of a government science policy. In business and government it has been recognized by that science was a key competitive factor, while Germany threatened compared to competitors such as Britain and France to fall back. By 1914, emerged Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Chemistry, for Experimental Therapy and Occupational Physiology, as well as the still existing Institute for Coal Research in Mülheim an der Ruhr.

1914-1945

In World War I outweighed military aspects of the research policies, the production of poison gas was at the Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry under Fritz Haber explored. Military importance also had the ammonia synthesis from hydrogen and nitrogen for the production of explosives and fertilizers. Outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Society created the German German Experimental Institute for Aviation ( DVL ) in Berlin- Adlershof (1912 ) and the Aerodynamic Testing (AVA ) in Göttingen ( 1918).

In the Weimar Republic, the Kaiser- Wilhelm -Gesellschaft was able to continue its operations despite loss of capital assets and namesake. In addition, in 1920 the Emergency Association of German Science ( NDW ), founded a predecessor of the German Research Foundation.

In the Third Reich then reappeared military aspects, and in particular aviation in the foreground. As a counterpart to the American Manhattan Project you can see the rocket research in the Army Research Center Peenemünde, headed by Wernher von Braun look.

1945-1989

1948, the Kaiser- Wilhelm -Gesellschaft was renamed the Max Planck Society, the Emergency Association merged in 1951 with the German Research Council, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. After Konigsteiner State Convention of 1949, the research policy was national matter, therefore, the establishment of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in the same year was made by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs.

With the establishment of the Federal Ministry for Atomic Affairs and the Atomic Energy Act, the exploration of nuclear energy in 1955, defined as federal political task. By 1960, the first German nuclear reactor in Karlsruhe ( KFK ) emerged, the Nuclear Research Centre Jülich ( KfJ ), the Society of Nuclear Energy utilization in shipbuilding and shipping (GKSS ), the Hahn- Meitner-Institut ( HMI) in Berlin, the German Electron Synchrotron ( DESY) in Hamburg and the Institute for plasma Physics ( IPP) in Garching.

Since the early 1960s, was then tried to transfer the established principle in nuclear research of large-scale research on other applications. With the assistance of the research questions Secretary Wolfgang Cartellieri among others, the German Research Centre for Aerospace ( DLR), the Society for Mathematics and Data Processing ( GMD), the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ ) and finally in 1979 the Alfred Wegener Institute for incurred Polar and marine Research ( AWI).

To coordinate zentrenübegreifender issues a " working committee for administrative and operational issues of the German reactor stations " was of the core physical research centers in 1958 was founded, which in early 1970 the founding of the " Working Group of large research institutions " ( AGF) joined to questions strategic orientation, training to be able to coordinate grade and patent treatment, as well as the exchange of experience in operational and safety issues better. In subsequent years, the AGF other research centers joined: 1975, the German Cancer Research Center, 1976, the Society for Biotechnological Research (today the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research ), 1983, the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research.

Since 1989

After reunification, the problem of integration of the Academy of Sciences of the GDR was in the West German research institutions in the foreground. As an example, a merger with the Leibniz Association (WGL ) is an example of the Institute for Marine Research Warnemünde stated that as a member of the German Academy of Sciences was the central Institute of Marine Sciences of the GDR, and re-founded in 1992 on the recommendation of the Science Council as Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research been. Newly founded as research centers of the AGF, the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine ( MDC) and the GFZ Potsdam were (GFZ ), the UFZ Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig -Halle, today Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research ( UFZ). 2001, the Society for Mathematics and Data Processing was merged with the Fraunhofer -Gesellschaft.

In parallel, the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres was already 1995, the AGF in the HGF been converted. But the still loose composite members in 2001 was converted into a registered association of legally independent members and have undergone the funding mechanisms of a comprehensive structural reform. Substantive core of this structural reform is the introduction of program-oriented funding (as opposed to the previous centers based financing ), at the request the members of the community as part of a five -yearly program evaluation in competition or cooperation research funding for their research programs.

International investments

Since the 1950s, belong to the major German research landscape, including international or multi-national research institutes, in which Germany is a partner. These entities may have their registered office in Germany or abroad. Examples are the particle physics center CERN, the synchrotron radiation source ESRF, the ILL neutron source, the free-electron laser European XFEL, the Molecular Biology Laboratory EMBL, the European Southern Observatory or the wind tunnel ETW.

The legal status of such institutions may be different, ranging from the status of an international organization to which a private company of a Member State (for. Example of a German GmbH), whose shareholders are either the Member States may be directly or research institutions in these countries.