Practically no other region in Europe features such a large number of research institutes as Baden-Württemberg. Research is not a choice, it is an obligation. This is the maxim expressed by the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts. Scarcely any country, let alone state, spends as much on research, proportionately, as Baden-Württemberg. It devotes 3.9% of its GDP to research, as compared to 3.1% by Japan, 2.8% by the United States, 2.5% by Germany and 2.2% by France. About one quarter of what the German economy spends on research and development is spent in Baden-Württemberg.

About 20% of Germany’s research and development capacity is concentrated here; its laboratories and other research facilities are internationally acclaimed. There is fundamental research of a highly advanced nature, creative applied research, technology transfer and international communication with the business community – this has created a dynamic academic landscape constantly on the move. Major international and national research centres such as the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe and the German Cancer Research Center are situated here, as are a variety of reputable research society institutes. Eleven research institutes of the Max Planck Society and 14 of the 58 Fraunhofer Institutes are thus located in Baden-Württemberg. The nonuniversity research institutes are frequently linked to the universities in the State.

The core of Baden-Württemberg’s university landscape is formed by its nine Research Universities. These include the Universität Heidelberg, founded in 1386 as Germany’s first university as well as the Research Universities in Freiburg and Tübingen. They are joined by the Research Universities in Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe and Mannheim, established between 1818 and 1907 in the course of the agricultural and industrial revolution. The set is completed by the new Research Universities in Ulm and Konstanz founded in the recent past to implement interdisciplinary approaches that are now standard at every university.

Today Research Universities in Baden-Württemberg stand for firstclass results in practically all disciplines, particularly in high technology sectors and key and cross-section disciplines. Proof of this is furnished by the large number of collaborative research centre and research training groups. International exchanges are hereby just as natural as interdisciplinary cooperation with other external research institutes. In terms of research rankings, the Research Universities in Baden-Württemberg occupy leading positions. In the first round of the current Excellence Initiative of the Federal Government and the Laender, four Research Universities from Baden-Württemberg have been listed in the top ten-group.

22 Institutes of Applied Research (IAF) act as interdisciplinary research units at nearly every University of Applied Sciences, bundling scientific expertise from different research fields. The precompetitive research activities of the IAF focus on the application of technologies, cooperating with private enterprises, especially small and medium-sized companies in the respective regions, but also with public institutions as well as other universities. This also assures practical expertise in teaching and the realisation of student projects integrating practical elements.