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We are Helmholtz Munich.

We discover breakthrough solutions for better health in a rapidly changing world.

We discover breakthrough solutions for better health in a rapidly changing world.

Our Vision & Mission

Our world is constantly changing. This impacts our health. Many widespread diseases such as diabetes, allergies and lung diseases are on the rise. Climate change is causing new diseases to emerge.

We develop solutions for a healthier future. Our cutting-edge research is the springboard for medical innovations. Together with our partners, we accelerate the transfer from ideas to applications, from labs to startups, from science to society.

Our Management

Martin Hrabe de Angelis
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Martin Hrabě de Angelis

Member and Spokesperson of the Executive Board (acting)

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Michael Frieser
Dr. Michael Frieser

Administrative Managing Director

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2555
Employees
90
Nations
1371
Publications in 2024
422
PhD students
31
Spin-Offs
66
ERC Grants

Member of the Helmholtz Association

  • We belong to the largest research network in Germany.
  • We receive long-term core funding for our research projects.
  • We offer our scientists an excellent infrastructure.

Our Locations

How We Work

Awards & Grants

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Portrait Ele Zeggini

Awards & Grants, Computational Health, ITG,

Eleftheria Zeggini Appointed to ERC Scientific Council

The European Commission has appointed Prof. Eleftheria Zeggini, Director of the Institute of Translational Genomics at Helmholtz Munich, to the Scientific Council of the European Research Council (ERC). Alongside five newly selected members, she will…

Portrait Jian Cui

Awards & Grants, Pioneer Campus,

Jian Cui Wins Prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant

Dr. Jian Cui, principal investigator at the Helmholtz Pioneer Campus, has been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant for his project PhotonSignaling. As part of Helmholtz Munich’s innovation hub, Cui belongs to a generation of “Pioneers” turning bold…

Blood flow

Awards & Grants, Environmental Health, LHI, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics, MCD,

Funding for Cell Death Research Extended

Research into a novel form of cell death is entering its next phase and could soon help reduce complications after heart attacks or organ transplants. The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) is providing continued support for…

Raffaele Teperino

Awards & Grants, Diabetes,

PRO-SCIENTIA Award for Raffaele Teperino

Dr. Raffaele Teperino, Principal Investigator of the Environmental Epigenetics Group at Helmholtz Munich, has been honored with the PRO-SCIENTIA Award 2025 of the Eckhart-Buddecke Foundation. The award, endowed with 10,000 euros, recognizes…

Verleihung des Bayerischen Maximiliansordens

Awards & Grants, Stem Cells, IES,

Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla Honored With the Maximiliansorden

Prof. Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla, this year’s Leibniz Prize winner, has received the Bavarian Maximiliansorden for Science and Art. Minister-President Dr. Markus Söder presented the distinguished state honor to her at the State Chancellery,…

STV Technology of EDGE Project

Awards & Grants, Stem Cells, IDG, ISF,

Funding Project Brings New Technology for Precise Therapeutic Delivery Closer to Clinical Application

According to the World Health Organization, around 300 million people worldwide suffer from genetic disorders – and for most of them, no effective treatments exist. A research team at the Institute of Stem Cell Research at Helmholtz Munich is…

Osteoarthritis in knee

Awards & Grants, Computational Health, ICB, ITG, IML,

Helmholtz Munich Launches Pioneering Osteoarthritis Research Project With EU Partners

Helmholtz Munich is part of the EU research initiative PROBE, which aims to fundamentally transform the way osteoarthritis is diagnosed and treated. The project is funded through HORIZON EUROPE by the Innovative Health Initiative and has a total…

Eric Wenzel Übergabe Jürgen Biercher-Preis_1

Awards & Grants, Diabetes, HI-MAG,

Eric Wenzel Receives the 2025 Jürgen-Bierich Research Award

Dr. Eric Wenzel, Clinician Scientist at the Leipzig University and the Helmholtz Institute for Metabolism, Obesity, and Vascular Research (HI-MAG) of Helmholtz Munich and the Medical Faculty of Leipzig University, has been awarded the Jürgen-Bierich…

AI models in science

AI, Awards & Grants, Computational Health, ICB,

Helmholtz Munich to Advance AI Benchmarking With Three Newly Funded Projects

Helmholtz Munich has secured funding in the Helmholtz Association’s first-ever “UNLOCK” call for AI benchmarking. With three projects approved, the center plays a key role in developing high-quality, multimodal benchmarking datasets that will improve…

Prof. Ulrike Protzer erhält Bundesverdienstkreuz

Awards & Grants, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics, VIRO,

Ulrike Protzer Receives the Federal Cross of Merit

On October 28, 2025, Prof. Dr. med. Ulrike Protzer was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz (Federal Cross of Merit). This honor recognizes her outstanding contributions to the field of virology – particularly her pioneering translational research…

20251022_HHDC Cure Gala_092

Awards & Grants, Diabetes, IDF,

Anette-Gabriele Ziegler Receives Hamm International Prize for Diabetes Research

Prof. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler, Director of the Helmholtz Munich Institute for Diabetes Research, is awarded with this year’s Hamm International Prize. She is being honored for her research to understand the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes and efforts…

German Medical Award 2025 for Prof. Ulrike Protzer

Awards & Grants, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics, VIRO,

Ulrike Protzer Receives the German Medical Award 2025

Prof. Ulrike Protzer, Director of the Institute of Virology at Helmholtz Munich and Chair for Virology at the Technical University of Munich, has been awarded the German Medical Award 2025 in the category "Female Doctor of the Year". The honor…

Man standing on ridge reflected in the lake.

Awards & Grants, Pioneer Campus,

Supporting Creative Science: Janna Nawroth Awarded VW Night Science Grant

Dr. Janna Nawroth, Principal Investigator at the Helmholtz Pioneer Campus at Helmholtz Munich, has been awarded a grant from the VolkswagenStiftung’s Night Science Initiative, a program designed to foster creativity as a driver of scientific…

Zeynep Akata receives 2025 ZukunftsWissen Award

AI, Awards & Grants, Computational Health, EML,

Zeynep Akata Receives 2025 ZukunftsWissen Award

Professor Zeynep Akata has been awarded the 2025 ZukunftsWissen Prize by the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Commerzbank Foundation in recognition of her outstanding scientific contributions. The €50,000 award was presented on…

Abstract blue tech background with DNA strands

AI, Awards & Grants, Computational Health, Health AI,

Niki Kilbertus Receives ERC Starting Grant for Causal Analysis in Complex Systems

Prof. Niki Kilbertus, Helmholtz AI group leader at Helmholtz Munich and professor at the Technical University of Munich, has received an ERC Starting Grant for the project DYNAMICAUS, which focuses on advancing the understanding of cause-and-effect…

Our Organization

How is Helmholtz Munich funded?

Helmholtz Munich is a research institution owned by the Federal Government of Germany and the Free State of Bavaria which finance the center in a ratio of 90:10. In 2020, the funding amounted to 271.5 million euros. Addiotional third-party funding resulted in a total budget of 331,6 million euros in 2020.

How does Helmholtz Munich develop its research goals?

The centers of the Helmholtz Association are divided into six research fields:

  • Health
  • Energy
  • Earth and Environment
  • Aeronautics, Space and Transport
  • Information
  • Matter

For each research area, scientists develop research programs that are evaluated by international experts. This evaluation forms the basis for the program-oriented funding of Helmholtz research. Helmholtz Munich is fully anchored in the research field Health. For the current period our research is orientated towards the five topics of the program-oriented funding "Environmental and Metabolic Health" (ENABLE). This program provides the strategic research framework for Helmholtz Munich for the next seven years.

Helmholtz Munich is also part of Helmholtz Health. Together with five other Helmholtz Health Centers, we develop solutions for a healthier society in a network of cutting-edge biomedical research that is unique in Europe. Our mission is to translate research results as quickly as possible into advances for our society, our healthcare system and the economy. In order to continuously expand the transfer portfolio, to further increase the speed of transfer and to make essential contributions more effectively, Helmholtz Health is jointly pursuing a seven-point charter across the centers.

Supervisory Board

The Supervisory Board monitors the legality, expediency and economic efficiency of the work of the Board of Directors. It decides on the general research objectives, important research policy and financial matters, and the principles for performance review. The Supervisory Board currently has eight members. Of these, the shareholders (Federal Republic of Germany represented by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, Free State of Bavaria represented by the Bavarian State Ministry of Finance and Home Affairs) delegate five members. In addition, there are three further members from the Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism and representatives of science and business.

Chairman: MinDir Thomas Romes

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors acts in accordance with the law, the Articles of Association, the Rules of Procedure and the instructions of the Shareholders' Meeting and the Supervisory Board. It shall cooperate with the other bodies of the Center.  

Member and Spokesperson of the Executive Board (acting): Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Martin Hrabě de Angelis
Administrative Managing Director: Dr. Michael Frieser

Management Committee

The Management Committee advises the Board of Directors and makes recommendations on upcoming decisions on important matters, those of a fundamental nature and those of significant financial importance. Members of the Management Committee are scientific and administrative executives.

Chairman: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Martin Hrabě De Angelis 

Scientific Advisory Board

The Scientific Advisory Board advises the Supervisory Board and the Board of Directors. It is also responsible for evaluating the work of Helmholtz Munich. At present, eleven external scientists belong to the scientific advisory board.

Chairman: Prof. W. Langhans

Works Council

The works council is the elected representative body of the Helmholtz Munich employees and represents their interests vis-à-vis the Board of Directors.

Contact: betriebsratspam prevention@helmholtz-munich.de

Organization Chart

Please find our Organization Chart here.

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