Non-profit Research Organizations
Nonprofit research is the academic business that focuses on teaching and researching nonprofit organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), voluntary associations, voluntarism and voluntary action, philanthropy, civil society, and similar activities. It is a community that is flexibly defined, transdisciplinary, and practice-oriented.
In 2019, these organizations were the most significant contributors to articles published in the 80 papers monitored by UHR from the NGO/NPO sector.
Max Plank Society
This German non-profit organization, named after the Nobel Prize-winning founder of quantum theory, is a global team player, with 70 percent of its co-authored articles created with collaborators from other countries.
It has 84 institutes and about 22,000 people, with scientists accounting for 30% of the workforce.
In 2017, the Max Planck Society’s yearly budget totaled US$1.9 billion, with the federal government contributing the lion’s share. It is responsible for almost 4,000 innovations and 125 commercial spin-offs, including ProteoPlex, which develops protein analysis tools, in addition to fundamental research.
Researchers from the Max Planck Society revealed evidence in 2018 suggesting the world’s earliest cave paintings were made by Neanderthals, not humans. More than 200 news sources and over 1,000 tweets highlighted the Science paper.
Leibniz Association
Germany’s Leibniz Association is notable for the range of research it does, including practically all sectors of academic study. It comprises 95 non-university research institutes with over 20,000 personnel in total, including 9,000 researchers and roughly 3,900 PhD students.
Leibniz Institutes are involved in around 4,900 worldwide cooperation across 170 countries. They work closely with universities, forming “Leibniz Science Campy,” and have an annual budget of more than €1.9 billion (roughly US$2.13 billion).
It is placed 53rd in the 2019 Global Top 100 Annual Tables, and its best category rating is 49th in physical sciences.
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers
Since its inception in 1995, the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers has grown to become Germany’s largest scientific organization, with over 40,000 workers and an annual budget of €4.7 billion (roughly US$5.3 billion).
In 2018, it was also listed in the top ten for Earth and environmental sciences, physical sciences, and worldwide institutions.
Helmholtz has established significant worldwide relationships in addition to delivering high-quality science through its 19 research centers. Over 10,000 visiting scientists and overseas personnel from more than 30 nations have worked at the institute.
The institution’s large-scale facilities and infrastructure, from research boats to particle accelerators, has created an environment where researchers may “form, conserve, and strengthen the long-term foundations of human life”, according to Sören Wiesenfeldt, director of department research,
Scripps Research
Scripps Research is one of the world’s largest private, non-profit biomedical research organizations, with more than 200 laboratories and approximately 2,400 employees including scientists, technicians, graduate students, and administrative personnel. It is known for its work in immunology, molecular and cellular biology, infectious diseases, and synthetic vaccine development.
It presently holds around 1,100 US patents, has more than 25 medication candidates in development, and is linked to more than 80 spin-off firms.
Kristian Andersen, a neuroscience and stem cell researcher who discovered how a certain large block of DNA causes cellular abnormalities involved in the most common genomic risk factor for heart disease, and Kristin Baldwin, a neuroscience and stem cell researcher who discovered how a certain large block of DNA causes cellular abnormalities involved in the most common genomic risk factor for heart disease, are two high-profile researchers.
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences was founded in the 18th century in Saint Petersburg on the order of Peter the Great and by Senate Decree, and it immediately became a powerhouse of scientific study and publishing.
It was renamed the Russian Academy of Sciences in November 1991 after being reconstituted as the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in 1925. It is Russia’s premier scientific institution.
Following decades of stagnation since its re-establishment, the academy has lately been re-energized, with Russian President Vladimir Putin listing science and innovation as major national priority.
The Russian government allotted 170 billion roubles (about US$2.7 billion) for fundamental research and development in 2018, a 25% increase over the basic science budget in 2017.