New Centre for German Neutron Research

TUM and Helmholtz Centres Establish Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum

Garching/Geesthacht/Jülich/Munich, 21 February 2013 – German neutron research, which is concentrated at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz research neutron source (FRM II) in Garching, has been given a name of its own. From now on, the successful cooperation between Technische Universität München (TUM), Forschungszentrum Jülich and Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht – Centre for Materials and Coastal Research (HZG) will be known as the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ). The official foundation ceremony took place in Garching today.

The new centre is named after Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (1911–2000), a pioneer and mentor of neutron research in Germany. It was on his initiative and under his direction that the first research reactor FRM I was built and put into operation in Garching in 1957. Heinz Maier-Leibnitz was also founding director of the international high-flux reactor at the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble, France. Until his retirement in 1974, he was chair of technical physics at TUM and director of the research reactor, and from 1974 to 1979 served as president of the German Research Foundation (DFG).

The cooperation between TUM and the Helmholtz centres, which since 2011 has received an extra € 19.8 million in funding annually from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), will take on a new quality under the umbrella of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum. Coordinated by Forschungszentrum Jülich, the Helmholtz centres are contributing € 10.52 million per year. TUM will remain the sole operator of the research neutron source, while the Free State of Bavaria provides funding to the tune of € 25 million per year for the operation of the reactor and research.

The Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum will support scientists from Germany and abroad in their attempts to solve grand scientific and social challenges, for example in the fields of energy research, biomedicine and tumour research, information technology, and materials science and engineering. To achieve this goal, TUM and the Helmholtz centres will build and operate 30 world-class instruments at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum. The partners’ expertise will be combined in six joint science groups: materials science, structure research, soft matter and biophysics, quantum phenomena, nuclear and particle physics, and neutron methods. Joint appointments are also planned.

TUM President Prof. Dr. Wolfgang A. Herrmann said, "This makes the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum a leading international centre for research with neutrons and positrons. TUM’s neutron source at Garching is a crucial basis for the centre thanks to its broad application range, which is among the best in the world."

Prof. Dr. Winfried Petry, scientific director at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum and scientific director of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz research neutron source (FRM II), said, "Neutron research provides answers to the major challenges facing society. At the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum, university and non-university institutions conduct cutting-edge research to tackle these challenges together."

Prof. Dr. Dieter Richter, spokesman for the Scientific Directorate of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum and director at the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) at Forschungszentrum Jülich, said, “Through increased cooperation, we are creating a world-class scientific environment. This will strengthen the position of the German research community on a long-term basis.”

The Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum’s new website, www.mlz-garching.de, outlines its research activities and provides researchers and interested members of the public with information about its scientific use.

Unveiling the logo
Unveiling the new logo: Prof. Winfried Petry (right), scientific director at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum and scientific director of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz research neutron source (FRM II), and Prof. Dieter Richter, spokesman for the Scientific Directorate of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum and director at the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science at Forschungszentrum Jülich.
Source: Technische Universität München, Heinz Maier-Leibnitz research neutron source

The new website www.mlz-garching.de represents the research activities at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum and gives information to scientists and the interested public on its scientific use.

FRM II
Die Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) in Garching.
Technische Universität München, Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz
Enthüllung des Logos
Enthüllen das neue Logo: Prof. Winfried Petry (rechts), Wissenschaftlicher Direktor am Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum sowie Wissenschaftlicher Direktor der Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) und Prof. Dieter Richter, Sprecher des wissenschaftlichen Direktoriums des Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrums und Direktor am Jülich Center for Neutron Science des Forschungszentrums Jülich.
Technische Universität München, Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz

Further information:

www.frm2.tum.de
www.hzg.de
www.tum.de
www.fz-juelich.de

Contact

Prof. Dr. Winfried Petry
Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II)
Technische Universität München
Lichtenbergstr. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
Tel.: +49 89 289 14704
Fax: +49 89 289 14995
E-Mail: winfried.petry@frm2.tum.de
Internet: http://www.frm2.tum.de

At the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht – Centre for Materials and Coastal Research, which is based in Geesthacht and Teltow, about 860 employees are involved in the fields of materials science, coastal research, and regenerative medicine. Staying true to its motto, “Science creates benefits”, many of the research findings obtained at the centre have been implemented in practical applications. Its materials researchers focus on tasks including the development of lightweight, functional materials for applications in the automotive and aviation industries. Its Institute of Coastal Research deals with questions related to the state of and changes in coastal regions. The researchers’ mission is to understand the changing climate and coasts and to make this knowledge available to society. | www.hzg.de

Forschungszentrum Jülich pursues cutting-edge interdisciplinary research addressing pressing issues facing society today, above all the energy supply of the future. With its competence in materials science and simulation and its expertise in physics, nanotechnology and information technology, as well as in the biosciences and brain research, Jülich is developing the basis for the key technologies of tomorrow. Forschungszentrum Jülich helps to solve the grand challenges facing society in the fields of energy and the environment, health, and information technology. With almost 5,000 employees, Jülich – a member of the Helmholtz Association – is one of the large interdisciplinary research centres in Europe. | www.fz-juelich.de

Technische Universität München (TUM), with around 500 professors, 9,000 employees and 32,000 students, is one of Europe’s leading technical universities. It focuses on the key areas of engineering, science, life sciences, medicine and economics. The recipient of numerous awards, TUM was chosen as a winner of the Excellence Initiative by the German Council of Science and Humanities and the German Research Foundation in 2006 and 2012. TUM ranks among the best universities in Germany in both national and international comparative studies. TUM is committed to its guiding principle of being a research-oriented, entrepreneurial university. TUM has a global presence, with a research campus in Singapore and branches in Beijing (China), Brussels (Belgium), Cairo (Egypt) and São Paulo (Brazil). | www.tum.de

Last Modified: 22.05.2022