Values What is important for us?

Responsibility.

We assume our societal responsibility.

We conduct research on behalf of society and therefore assume responsibility for ensuring that the findings of our researchers can be used by society so that they have a positive effect. This principle guides us in the strategic planning of our research, in cooperations with our partners, and in our efforts to ensure our findings can be used by the political sphere, the economy, and civil society. We aim to contribute to the sustainable development of society, while also demanding the same of ourselves: we act responsibly with the resources that have been entrusted to us and use them in a sustainable manner.

Values What is important for us?

Honesty.

We work in an honest, fair, and open fashion.

Scientific integrity is the foundation of sustainable success in research. We understand it as an ethical approach in which honesty, fairness, and openness guide our actions in research and in the supporting areas of work. This approach is reflected in day-to-day operations: in professional and transparent processes, in the exemplary handling of research data, in quality-controlled publishing, in the consistent upholding of the rules of good scientific practice, and in the training of young scientists. The ability to always put your own theories and findings to the test is a fundamental scientific principle that we follow in all areas of work at Forschungszentrum Jülich. It serves as a foundation for constructive error management, which enables us to constantly improve the way we act.

Values What is important for us?

Collegiality.

We work with enthusiasm, respect, and a willingness to learn from one another.

We are all united at Forschungszentrum Jülich by our shared commitment to excellence, responsibility, and integrity. This common stance enables us to ideally combine and efficiently apply various competences. Collegiality is at the heart of cooperation in all areas at Jülich, thriving on the motivation, efforts, and enthusiasm of everyone involved. It can be seen in the respectful treatment of one another, the commitment of every individual in a team, responsible management, reliability, and a willingness to constantly learn from one another. The principle of collegiality serves as a basis for Jülich to exploit its potential as a multidisciplinary research centre with an international workforce. It is a prerequisite for attracting and promoting bright employees and talented young scientists in the best possible way.

Mission What is our mission?

Relevance.

Our research helps to solve major problems faced by the world today.

Forschungszentrum Jülich is a large-scale national research facility in the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres. By conducting research on the global challenges currently facing society, we contribute to the welfare of mankind and responsible action with respect to the Earth. Our basic scientific and engineering research is inspired by the notion of utilization. It is always conducted with a view to application – be that in the near or more distant future.

Mission What is our mission?

Effect.

Our research aims to improve lives.

It is our task to acquire knowledge for science, but also to have a positive effect in other areas of society. We want politicians, citizens, and actors in civil society to be able to use our findings in order to discuss societal issues in accordance with the latest available research and to take progressive decisions that serve the public interest. We promote cooperation with industry through active innovation management. Together with our partners, we work on turning findings into new products, processes, and services that will improve people’s lives in the long term while at the same time conserving natural resources.

Mission What is our mission?

Progress.

Our research is focused on three major areas in which we are best placed to make a valuable contribution on the basis of our scientific expertise and high-performance infrastructures: information, energy, and bioeconomy.

• We explore the complex processes of the human brain in order to provide more effective diagnoses and cures for neurological disorders.
• We study the future of information processing to open up new possibilities for science and society.
• We conduct research for a sustainable energy system that can contribute to a successful transformation of the energy sector (Energiewende).
• We perform investigations for a bio-based value chain to enable a sustainable economy.

The processing of information in biological and technical systems is an overarching issue for Jülich that drives and unites the field of neuroscience with a focus on the brain, research into the fundamentals of future information technologies, and high-performance computing with supercomputers. These areas of research draw inspiration from one another at Jülich in order to open up the opportunities for science and other areas of society that emerge from a fundamental understanding of information processing in complex systems.

We aim to contribute to the successful transformation of the energy sector and to restricting climate change, which is why we are investigating energy conversion processes, storage technologies, and the mechanisms of climate change. We think in terms of value chains from basic research right up to technology and do not consider the energy system in an isolated fashion, but rather as an integrated feature of the environment and society. With our research into the pioneering topic of the bioeconomy, we are supporting the transition from an oil-based to a bio-based economy and contributing to the efforts to feed a growing global population.

Mission What is our mission?

Interconnection.

We work across a range of topics and disciplines.

We search for innovative solutions that function in complex systems. This requires us to think and act in an agile and process-oriented manner while maintaining a view of the bigger picture. We work across a range of topics and disciplines and seek out relationships between the different research areas. We promote simulation and data sciences as a key method for research. We use our large-scale – and often unique – infrastructures as bridges for considering research subjects from all perspectives using various methods with different size scales and timescales. Furthermore, we do not pursue our topics purely from the perspective of science and engineering, but also consider them in their economic, social, and ethical contexts.

Vision Who do we want to be?

Magnet.

We want to be a place of charismatic research that attracts extraordinary people.

We aim to be a magnet for outstanding scientists visionary pioneers professional supporters of research in administration and infrastructure, and talented young scientists. We seek to attract creative individuals from all over the world to Jülich: people who love to think and are also enthusiastic about doing so in unconventional ways. We also strive to be an attractive place for people who are full of curiosity about the ideas of their colleagues and open discourse. We want our campus to be a great place for inspiring exchanges.

Vision Who do we want to be?

Pioneer.

We do not wait for progress to happen, but instead look to shape it ourselves.

We do not want our research to simply accompany the transition and progress of society, but instead we seek to catalyse and enable it as a pioneer – be this in the understanding and treatment of widespread neurological disorders, the development of future data processing machines, or the understanding of the brain and thus of humankind itself, as well as the sustainable use of the Earth’s resources. An example of this approach can be seen with the Energiewende: we contribute to its successful implementation not only through research but also by acting as an open “living lab” in which new energy technologies are put to the test to secure the energy supply on campus. We serve as a model neighbourhood using methods from the simulation and data sciences for decentralized energy systems of the future.

Vision Who do we want to be?

Partner.

We want to be a strong partner.

We are an international team with roots in the Rhineland. We aim to be a strong partner in our local area, offering prospects for the future as an attractive establishment for employment and training, as well as an agent of structural change in the Rhineland region. We seek to help shape the scientific landscape at universities in North Rhine-Westphalia – particularly in the ABCD region (Aachen, Bonn, Cologne, Düsseldorf) – and in the “border triangle” area between Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. We are committed to ensuring that this uniquely concentrated and strong research region makes even greater use of its potential – at a national level, in Europe, and on the international stage. We cooperate particularly closely with RWTH Aachen University in the Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA). Our aim is to ultimately provide the impetus for new forms of scientific cooperation beyond the region.

Vision Who do we want to be?

Ambassador.

Our perspective is a global one.

Global visibility and recognition of our research is where we set the benchmark. This is why our research is internationally networked, with Jülich often taking on a leading role in international projects. As an international player, we support the Open Science movement and are involved in utilizing the opportunities presented by digitization for the open exchange of research data. We are active throughout the world and are also the home of a global community: at Forschungszentrum Jülich, we view the diversity of our employees as a strength to be nurtured because we consider the variety of biographical origin, intellectual home, gender, and age as an important prerequisite for success in our work.