The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is the Research University in the Helmholtz Association and is thus one of 18 large-scale research centers in Germany. Organized in the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers (HGF), large-scale research makes valuable contributions to solving society's pressing issues of the future and to further unraveling the mysteries of the universe.

As part of the HGF, KIT is an asset in large-scale research, which is not only supported by large financial resources but also advanced with the help of large research infrastructures. Such infrastructures are operated at KIT in the long term and can be used by researchers in Germany and internationally.

The spectrum of research ranges from particle physics to research on the energy transition and a better understanding of climate change through to the investigation of the causes of diseases. The data collected, in turn, require enormous computing power, which KIT provides as a center for national supercomputing. In this context, KIT can also show the full potential of its expertise in IT security.

In a video interview, KIT Vice-President for Research Oliver Kraft explains what large-scale research means at KIT, which issues it is intended to solve, which challenges it faces,  and how students at KIT benefit from it in their academic education.

The energy transition is one of the central building blocks in the fight against climate change. This is why KIT is investigating the energy system of the future at the Energy Lab 2.0. Research is across all sectors: From the bioliq® pilot plant to Power-to-X and solar power through to  the virtual integration of wind farms and a tangible energy transition that features model houses. In addition, KIT works on launching climate-friendly solutions in other sectors e.g. for agile production of batteries.

They are very different in nature and yet have something in common: The cloud chamber AIDA and the neutrino experiment KATRIN both take a close look at small particles. At AIDA (Aerosol Interaction and Dynamics in the Atmosphere), the effects of aerosols i.e. tiny particles that are sometimes only a few nanometers in size, on cloud formation and ultimately on climate, weather, and the environment are studied. Thus, among other things, the large-scale facility makes an important contribution to KIT's leading role in cloud observation.

The particles investigated by the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino Experiment KATRIN are still much smaller. More precisely, neutrinos are the lightest, most abundant, but also most mysterious mass-bearing particles in our universe. Their exact mass is not known. Researchers want to determine it precisely for the first time with the help of KATRIN. As a rule, such large-scale experiments are not open to the public. Since mid-2021, virtual reality has made it possible to take a direct look inside the research facility and allow users to even assume the role of researchers themselves and interact with the experiment.