Helmholtz Programs

In fulfilling its mission as a national research center, KIT conducts research to make excellent contributions to solving the big and urgent problems facing society, science, and industry. These research and development activities are embedded in the superordinate program structure of the six research fields of the Helmholtz Association.

In the fourth program-oriented funding phase (PoF IV) from 2021 to 2027, KIT is involved in all eleven research programs of four research fields. KIT operates the Grid Computing Centre Karlsruhe (GridKa), one of the tier1 computing centers for storing and processing data from the LHC experiments at the European Organization for Nuclear Research CERN.

Mit den am KIT entwickelten reFuels – erneuerbare Kraftstoffe aus verschiedenen Verfahren – können Verbrennungsmotoren für alle Anwendungen laufen.Bramsiepe / Breig, KIT

Energy

In the Research Field Energy, KIT focuses on the energy transition through participation in the two new PoF IV programs “Energy System Design” and “Materials and Technologies for the Energy Transition.” In addition, the “Nuclear Fusion” program covers major challenges associated with the use of nuclear fusion as a primary energy source. The program “Nuclear Waste Management, Safety and Radiation Research” provides expertise for nuclear safety research and safe nuclear waste management.

In 2025, KIT will be involved in all four Helmholtz programs with a budget of about EUR 154 million.

Scenic view of rolling hills under dramatic sky with sun rays breaking through clouds at Rhineland-PalatinateMarkus Breig, KIT

Earth and Environment

In the Research Field Earth and Environment, climate research will be strengthened with respect to big data analysis within the projects Digital Earth and Earth System Modelling. In 2025, KIT will be involved in two topics of the Helmholtz program “Changing Earth – Sustaining our Future” with a budget of EUR 31 million. KIT will coordinate the topic “The Atmosphere at a Time of Global Change”. To a smaller extent, it will participate in the topic “Sustainable Bioeconomy, Harnessing the Potential of Nature.”

KIT Researchers have found a new way to precisely control the quantum-mechanical state, called spin, of single magnetic molecules on a surface by means of electric voltage. Paul Greule, KIT

Information

In the Research Field Information, KIT focuses on cybersecurity. Other important topics to KIT are quantum technologies and in particular quantum computing and information-based materials sciences.

In 2025, KIT will be involved in 12 of 14 topics of the three Helmholtz programs in this Research Field with a budget of EUR 114 million.

Neutrino Measurements: above-ground part of the IceCube experiment and graphic simulation of a measurement signal from the detectors in the ice.S. Richter, IceCube; Fotomontage: B. v. Puttkamer

Matter

In the Research Field Matter, KIT concentrates on elementary particle physics, including use of the large-scale facility GridKa, astroparticle physics with neutrino physics, the search for dark matter and investigation of cosmic radiation, on studies as to how smallest building blocks develop to complex forms and materials, and on the development of detector and accelerator technologies.

In 2025, KIT will be involved in the three Helmholtz programs of the Research Field Matter and operates the Grid Computing Centre Karlsruhe (GridKa) with a budget of EUR 66 million.