Science and technology in Germany

Science and technology in Germany has a long and illustrious history, and <a href="/facts/Research_and_development/2h5UddUu">research and development</a> efforts form an integral part of <a href="/facts/Economy_of_Germany/MNxTzcgh">the country's economy</a>. <a href="/facts/Germany/paluuWBX">Germany</a> has been the home of some of the most prominent researchers in various scientific disciplines, notably <a href="/facts/Physics/a7aH2y08">physics</a>, <a href="/facts/Mathematics/pxTouaz4">mathematics</a>, <a href="/facts/Chemistry/SrNqkGVm">chemistry</a> and <a href="/facts/Engineering/RFVg8H3I">engineering</a>. Before <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>, Germany had produced more <a href="/facts/List_of_Nobel_laureates/3vGWzdwa">Nobel laureates</a> in scientific fields than any other nation, and was the preeminent country in the <a href="/facts/Natural_sciences/8hg81Q2p">natural sciences</a>. Germany is currently the nation with the <a href="/facts/List_of_Nobel_laureates_by_country/1IEe598f">3rd most Nobel Prize winners</a>, <a href="/facts/List_of_German_Nobel_laureates/7zyKkGyk">115</a>.
The <a href="/facts/German_language/oWaQIDA8">German language</a>, along with <a href="/facts/English_language/tpkxGt7b">English</a> and <a href="/facts/French_language/qe1DnaQh">French</a>, was one of the leading <a href="/facts/Languages_of_science/Nht6AaJ9">languages of science</a> from the late 19th century until the end of World War II. After the war, because so many scientific researchers' and teachers' careers had been ended either by <a href="/facts/Nazi_Germany/8kRbqRpo">Nazi Germany</a> which started a <a href="/facts/Brain_drain/ISXuNRE2">brain drain</a>, the <a href="/facts/Denazification/0Ko1VW2o">denazification</a> process, the American <a href="/facts/Operation_Paperclip/psCe5nL5">Operation Paperclip</a> and Soviet <a href="/facts/Operation_Osoaviakhim/L4tewQX8">Operation Osoaviakhim</a> which exacerbated the brain drain in post-war Germany, or simply losing the war, "Germany, German science, and German as the language of science had all lost their leading position in the scientific community."
Today, scientific research in the country is supported by industry, the <a href="/facts/List_of_universities_in_Germany/qrK01Sv4">network of German universities</a> and scientific state-institutions such as the <a href="/facts/Max_Planck_Society/lVNb39aD">Max Planck Society</a> and the <a href="/facts/Deutsche_Forschungsgemeinschaft/fHRjppq8">Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft</a>. The raw output of scientific research from Germany consistently ranks among the world's highest. Germany was declared the most innovative country in the world in the 2020 <a href="/facts/Bloomberg_Innovation_Index/2NCtubRH">Bloomberg Innovation Index</a> and was ranked 9th in the <a href="/facts/Global_Innovation_Index/mIqcsoF4">Global Innovation Index</a> in 2024.

Science and technology in Germany open-in-new

Science and technology in Germany