Forschungszentrum Jülich

Forschungszentrum Jülich describes itself as one of Europe's largest interdisciplinary research centres and a founding member of the Helmholtz Association. It states that researchers from around the world contribute expertise in the future fields of energy, information and bioeconomy, and that it researches topics of energy and climate, information and bioeconomy using unique infrastructure. Its mission is described as finding solutions for a better tomorrow, with a commitment to top-level research of world rank and international networking, while also being rooted in the Rhineland.

According to the official 70-year history page, in December 1956 the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia decided to build an 'atomic research facility', described as the birth of today's Forschungszentrum Jülich, with the founders' main aim being the peaceful use of nuclear research as a whole. The nuclear research facility was officially inaugurated in 1961, and the research reactors were started up in 1962. When the state reached its financial limits in the 1960s, the existence of the institution was threatened, and in 1968 the federal government joined in. In the 1970s, institutes established around nuclear research used know-how and infrastructure across disciplinary boundaries and formed new focal points, while awareness of environmental protection and the risks of nuclear energy grew. In the 1980s, the supercomputer CRAY X-MP/22 was considered a sensation with 16 megabytes of memory, and Peter Grünberg discovered the GMR effect in 1988, for which he received the Nobel Prize in 2007; the keyword 'systems research' also emerged.

One of Europe's largest interdisciplinary research centres; founding member of the Helmholtz Association; focused on energy, information and bioeconomy.

1. 1Forschungszentrum Jülichfz-juelich.de
2. 270 Jahre Forschungszentrum - unsere Geschichtefz-juelich.de
3. 3Über unsfz-juelich.de
4. 4Missionfz-juelich.de