Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) is a Dresden-based research laboratory. It conducts research in three of the Helmholtz Association's areas: materials, health, and energy. HZDR is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres. 
History.
After the German reunification the "Forschungszentrum Rossendorf" (FZR) was founded. The center was founded in 1956. The former research center in Rossendorf was part of the German Academy of Sciences. The German-born British physicist Klaus Fuchs, who took part in the Manhattan Project and acted as a spy for the Soviet Union, was deputy director until 1974.
In 1992 it became known as Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. In 2006 the name changed to "Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf", to emphasize the connection to the research infrastructure in the city of Dresden. In 2011 the center became a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres.
Research programs.
HZDR conducts research in the materials, health and energy sectors in Dresden and at three other locations in Germany and France. In Grenoble, it operates a beamline for materials and radiochemistry research at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). Three of HZDR's five large-scale facilities are available to international scientists.
Materials
HZDR scientists are investigating the structure and function of new materials in order to better understand, optimize, and use them for specific applications. This includes research on novel superconducting and semiconducting materials using high magnetic fields or ion beams. They are developing detectors for applications in medicine and technology, and are advancing technologies for particle acceleration.
Health 
HZDR aims at making progress in early diagnosis and therapy of cancer. It collaborates with partners from university medicine (National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, OncoRay, in Dresden). HZDR cancer research concentrates on three major fields: new radioactive pharmaceuticals for cancer diagnosis and therapy, innovative medical imaging methods used in oncology as well as particle acceleration using new laser technologies for radiation oncology.
Energy
HZDR researchers are looking for economically and ecologically feasible energy solutions. The Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology, a joint initiative of HZDR and TU Bergakademie Freiberg, is targeting new technologies for the exploration, mining, and use of strategically important metals and minerals, e.g. biotechnological methods for metal recycling. Scientists also study energy-intensive processes in industry, like steel casting or in the chemical industry. They are examining nuclear repositories and reactors. And they are contributing to new storage technologies, e,g., developing a liquid metal battery.
Research facilities.
HZDR operates multiple research facilities.
Collaborations.
The HZDR is nationally and internationally connected to other institutions and organised in various research alliances. 
International collaborations
National collaborations
Staff and research sites.
The HZDR employs about 1,000 staff, working at four research sites. The headquarters is in Dresden.
Technology transfer.
The HZDR Innovation GmbH corporation offers industrial services using HZDR's know-how and infrastructures in ion implantation. This technology is applied for doping material surfaces with foreign atoms or to produce defects in semiconductors. It is also used to create materials with targeted features such as oxidation resistance, which is important for aviation or automotive lightweight construction, or biocompatibility for medical implants.
Students and young scientists.
Roughly 160 doctoral students work there. The HZDR installed junior research groups to promote excellent young scientists, the topics of which as of 2013 were: ion beam processed functional materials for spintronics and photovoltaics, computational radiation physics, spintronics, reactor physics, magnetization dynamics and magnetostatic, tumor specific PET tracers, in-vivo dosimetry for new types of radiation (together with the Dresden-based National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology - OncoRay). HZDR operates an International Helmholtz Research School for Nanoelectronic Networks (NANONET) as well as a Summer Student Program.