Capturing the
world of science.
Unlock
the potential of imaging in the Helmholtz Association across all research domains and along the entire imaging pipeline.
Improve
leverage and accessibility of the innovative imaging modalities, applications and data treasures.
Enable
the delivery of generalizable imaging solutions.
News, Events & Jobs
Helmholtz Imaging Newsletter Issue No. 28
Explore this year’s Best Scientific Image Contest entries, register for Helmholtz Imaging Week 2026, discover our new projects, and tools, and catch up on training opportunities and community updates in our latest newsletter.
Bring your Imaging Questions: Helmholtz Imaging Roadshow at DLR
Join us on September 1 at DLR in Cologne for the Helmholtz Imaging Roadshow! Bring your imaging-related questions and discover how we can support your research. While you're there, explore the winning images from our 2025 Best Scientific Image Contest, which will be on display on campus.
Cast Your Vote for the Public Choice Award
The images are in - and now it is your turn to choose your favorite scientific images for the Public Choice Award in the Helmholtz Imaging Best Scientific Image Contest 2026. Voting is open until August 18, 2026.Portfolio
Support Hub
The Support Hub is your gateway to the world of Helmholtz Imaging! Simply send an e-mail to support@helmholtz-imaging.de and we will help you out. Any request is welcome, whether it is a question about administrative or imaging-related matters, consulting requests, project support, Helmholtz Imaging Collaborations or access to our portfolio.
CONNECT
Helmholtz Imaging CONNECT is the heart of the Helmholtz Imaging Network. Get to know the imaging experts from the Helmholtz Association, explore the amazing portfolio of cutting-edge instruments from satellites to synchrotrons, dive into the exciting world of imaging applications. Helmholtz Imaging CONNECT facilitates finding partners and collaborators for innovative projects, with just the right complementary expertise necessary to conduct research for grand challenges.
We want you! If you are affiliated to one of the Helmholtz Centers, we invite you to add your profile, your modalities and your applications to the website. Be Helmholtz Imaging!
Collaborations
Struggling with an imaging-related project? Apply for a Helmholtz Imaging Collaboration and tap into the expertise of Helmholtz Imaging! Collaborations enable you to team up with one of our units for an elongated period of time (up to 6 months or even longer) to work on a project together. Whether you require support in (AI-based) image analysis, image reconstruction, annotation, data management, software solutions, addressing inverse problems, developing novel imaging modalities, 3D visualization and more – we are your partner.
Solutions
Helmholtz Imaging Solutions provide software driven strategies for solving common problems across imaging domains and tools. In reality, being aware of a software solution for a scientific problem is often followed by a time-consuming process of figuring out how to install the specific tool and how to precisely use it to reproduce a published result. We provide a framework to unify and simplify this process. Additionally, we curate a catalog of Helmholtz Imaging Solutions developed within our community.
Research
Projects
Helmholtz Imaging Projects are granted to cross-disciplinary research teams that identify innovative research topics at the intersection of imaging and information & data science, initiate cross-cutting research collaborations, and thus underpin the growth of the Helmholtz Imaging network. Discover our outstanding projects or apply for the annual call.
Publications
Helmholtz Imaging captures the world of science. Discover unique data sets, ready-to-use software tools, and top-level research papers.
The platform’s output originates from our research groups as well as from projects funded by us, theses supervised by us and collaborations initiated through us. Altogether, our publications showcase the whole diversity of Helmholtz Imaging.
Highlight Projects
3D-Gain
Realistic 3D Atmospheric Reconstruction for Generative AI Nowcasting of Precipitation and Irradiance using Remote Sensing and In-Situ Data
Image: 3D-Gain
BenthicAI
Illuminating invisible life in the Wadden Sea
Vi(MA)2C
Vision-based Microscope Automation for Microbial Arena Composition
Image: Michelle Bund, FZJ
MEDAL
Artificial intelligence holds enormous promise for healthcare. Yet, current AI systems are often evaluated on datasets that fail to reflect real clinical complexity. As a result, research is frequently driven by available data rather than by the most urgent medical needs. MEDAL addresses this gap with an ambitious vision: to establish a global benchmark for clinically relevant AI in medical imaging.Image: Envato Elements
GROOVY
HiGh ContRast DichrOic ReflectiOn EUV MicroscopY
Image: HI Project GROOVY
MULTI-TRACE
Simultaneous quantitative multi-molecular PET imaging of two radiopharmaceuticals: from algorithmic developments to applications in neuroscience and oncology
Moisture3D
Mapping of Integral Soil Tomography Using Radar Enhancement in 3D
MemBrain-structure
AI-driven End-to-End Pipeline for Membrane Protein Structure Determination by Cryo-ET
Helmholtz Imaging’s mission is to unlock the potential of imaging in the Helmholtz Association. Image data provide a substantial part of data being generated in scientific research. Helmholtz Imaging is the overarching platform to better leverage and make accessible to everyone the innovative modalities, methodological richness, and data treasures of the Helmholtz Association.
For us, imaging is the whole process from data acquisition and data preparation to data management and data analysis. For this reason, we feel that the anchoring at the three host centers DESY, DKFZ and MDC is optimal to serve the entire imaging pipeline and jointly generate the greatest possible added value for the entire association. We are dedicated to making Helmholtz Imaging an internationally visible platform for imaging research.
Helmholtz Imaging is one of five platforms (HIDA, HIFIS, Helmholtz.AI and HMC) initiated by the Helmholtz Information & Data Science Incubator.
People of Helmholtz Imaging
Prof. Dr. Martin Burger
Kris Dreher
Dr. Philipp Heuser
Prof. Dr. Dagmar Kainmüller
Dr. Sara Krause-Solberg
Dr. Annika Reinke
