Science in Göttingen

The University and eight first-class non-university research institutions cover a wide variety of subjects.

Founded in 1737, the Georg-August-University of Göttingen is a research university of international renown. It has a strong focus in research-led teaching. The University is distinguished by the rich diversity of its subject spectrum, its excellent facilities for the pursuit of scientific research, and the outstanding quality of the areas that define its profile.
The University bears the name of its founder Georg August, King George II of Great Britain, Elector and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, (Hannover). In affinity with the spirit of the Enlightenment, Göttingen abandoned the supremacy of theology and set its faculties on an equal footing. As an academic location Göttingen was long regarded as the hub of the mathematical world.

Besides the University, Göttingen is home to a network of eight first-class non-university research establishments that enhance the University's tradition in research and its strength in subject diversity. This unique network encompasses the University of Göttingen, the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the German Primate Center, the German Aerospace Center, the Max Planck Institutes for Biophysical Chemistry, Dynamics and Self-Organization, Experimental Medicine, Solar System Research, and the Max-Planck-Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity.

A total of 45 Nobel laureates are associated with Göttingen. Some were born in the city, while others came here to study, teach or conduct research.

Max-Planck-Instutes