Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe is member of the Hermann von Helmholtz Association of National Research Centers and one of the biggest science and engineering research institutions in Germany. Its research and development programs extend over areas of industrial precommercialization phase research, product and process development, provident research, and fundamental scientific research. In conducting this research, it is cooperated with partners from science and industry. Another major task is the operation of large-scale devices also for external users.

The R&D activities of the Research Center are embedded in the superordinate program structure of the Helmholtz Association and concentrate on eleven programs in four research areas, as indicated by the different colors: