DE
Germany
Germany ranks between 2nd and 40th across the 45 technologies, by share of the 10% most cited papers, 2021–2025.
TechnologyRankIts neighbours in the rankingShare of the top 10%, from 2021 to 2025Its institution with the most credit
Directed energy
2ndof 21
1stCN57.5%2ndDE5.6%3–4GB4.3%3–4US4.3%5–6IN3.3%
Laser Zentrum Hannover1.3% of the top 10%
Quantum computing
3rdof 71
1stUS34.9%2ndCN11.2%3rdDE6.0%4thGB5.9%5thCH3.7%
Freie Universität Berlin0.6% of the top 10%
Quantum communication
3rdof 57
1stCN28.9%2ndUS14.1%3rdDE7.6%4thGB5.5%5thIT3.6%
Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics1.1% of the top 10%
Atomic clocks
3rdof 27
1stUS38.7%2ndCN19.9%3rdDE11.5%4–6GB4.7%4–6JP4.7%
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt4.9% of the top 10%
Nuclear fusion
3rdof 50
1stUS27.5%2ndCN14.8%3rdDE11.8%4thGB10.1%5thFR5.3%
Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics6.9% of the top 10%
mRNA vaccines and therapeutics
3rdof 70
1stUS38.7%2ndCN16.1%3rdDE3.5%4–5CA3.4%4–5JP3.3%
BioNTech (Germany)0.7% of the top 10%
Quantum sensors
3rdof 48
1stCN22.5%2ndUS21.5%3rdDE10.2%4thGB8.4%5thFR5.2%
Universität Ulm1.5% of the top 10%
High-performance computing
3rdof 45
1stUS36.3%2ndCN13.9%3rdDE7.5%4–5IT4.4%4–5ES4.3%
Paderborn University1.5% of the top 10%
Satellite navigation
3rdof 45
1stCN56.1%2ndUS5.5%3rdDE3.9%4thHK3.4%5–6AU2.2%
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR)1.3% of the top 10%
Large language models
4thof 96
1stCN27.4%2ndUS19.4%3rdGB3.7%4thDE2.4%5–6KR2.3%5–6AU2.3%
Technical University of Munich0.3% of the top 10%
Synthetic biology
4thof 55
1stCN45.7%2ndUS15.0%3rdKR5.0%4thDE4.7%5thGB3.9%6thIN3.5%
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology0.6% of the top 10%
Genome sequencing
4thof 59
1stUS33.6%2ndCN27.6%3rdGB5.0%4thDE4.7%5thAU3.9%6thCH2.0%
Helmholtz Munich0.5% of the top 10%
Electric batteries
4–5tied, of 89
1stCN68.0%3rdKR3.4%4–5GB2.2%4–5DE2.2%6thAU1.9%7thCA1.7%
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology0.3% of the top 10%
Perovskite solar cells
5–6tied, of 76
1stCN53.9%3rdKR4.6%4thHK4.0%5–6DE3.9%5–6IN3.9%7thGB2.3%
Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie1.0% of the top 10%
Hydrogen by electrolysis
5thof 83
1stCN53.0%3rdUS4.3%4thAU3.8%5thDE3.7%6thIN2.5%7thGB2.3%
Technische Universität Berlin0.5% of the top 10%
Gene editing
5thof 77
1stUS32.2%3rdKR4.2%4thIN4.0%5thDE2.5%6thGB2.4%7thCH1.9%
University of Freiburg0.2% of the top 10%
AI chips
4–5tied, of 46
1stCN46.2%3rdUS11.6%4–5SG3.4%4–5DE3.3%6thIN2.3%7thHK2.2%
Forschungszentrum Jülich0.4% of the top 10%
Space launch
4–5tied, of 18
1stCN34.8%3rdKR8.9%4–5IT6.9%4–5DE6.8%6–7FR5.4%6–7IN5.2%
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR)5.4% of the top 10%
Magnets and superconductors
5–6tied, of 58
1stCN35.0%3rdGB5.7%4thIN4.8%5–6DE4.6%5–6JP4.6%7–8IT2.6%
Technische Universität Darmstadt1.4% of the top 10%
Optical communication
5–6tied, of 54
1stCN38.8%3–4CA3.5%3–4GB3.5%5–6DE3.2%5–6JP3.1%7thIN2.4%
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology0.9% of the top 10%
Advanced robotics
5thof 54
1stCN31.5%3rdIT6.4%4thGB4.7%5thDE4.5%6thHK3.4%7–8KR3.2%
Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems1.4% of the top 10%
Advanced aircraft engines
5–6tied, of 47
1stCN64.6%4thIN2.8%5–6TR2.0%5–6DE2.0%7–11FR1.3%7–11PL1.3%
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR)1.3% of the top 10%
Inertial navigation
5–6tied, of 40
1stCN64.0%4thHK2.9%5–6GB2.3%5–6DE2.2%7–10AU1.9%7–10FR1.8%
Robert Bosch (Germany)0.5% of the top 10%
Radar
5–6tied, of 41
1stCN77.0%4thIT2.7%5–6KR2.2%5–6DE2.1%7–9IN0.6%7–9SG0.6%
Universität Ulm0.4% of the top 10%
Hypersonic flight
4–7tied, of 28
1stCN65.9%4–7KR1.7%4–7HK1.6%4–7DE1.5%8thIR1.3%9–11FR0.9%
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR)0.7% of the top 10%
Critical minerals processing
7–9tied, of 58
1stCN43.0%4–5IN2.8%6thGB2.4%7–9DE1.9%7–9KR1.9%7–9ES1.8%
RWTH Aachen University0.3% of the top 10%
Post-quantum cryptography
7–8tied, of 59
1stCN20.4%6thGB3.4%7–8JP2.8%7–8DE2.6%9thAU2.5%10thES2.2%
Technical University of Munich0.8% of the top 10%
Wide-bandgap semiconductors
8thof 56
1stCN40.8%6thIT2.5%7thGB2.3%8thDE2.1%9thTW1.7%10thMY1.6%
Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics0.5% of the top 10%
Hyperspectral imaging
8–9tied, of 54
1stCN71.4%6–7AU1.4%6–7IT1.4%8–9DE1.1%8–9GB1.0%10–12CA0.9%
Technical University of Munich0.2% of the top 10%
New antibiotics and antivirals
8–9tied, of 82
1stCN30.3%5–6AU2.7%7thGB2.5%8–9DE2.3%8–9IR2.2%10thCA2.1%
Leipzig University0.2% of the top 10%
Small satellites
8–14tied, of 473.2 papers of credit
1stUS13.7%5–7LU2.8%8–14JP2.6%8–14DE2.5%8–14AU2.5%8–14NL2.5%
Universität der Bundeswehr München1.3% of the top 10%
Additive manufacturing
9–10tied, of 90
1stCN34.0%6–7SG2.9%8thIR2.3%9–10DE2.1%9–10CA2.1%11thTR1.9%
University of Siegen0.1% of the top 10%
Metamaterials
9thof 73
1stCN55.5%7thHK2.0%8thGB1.9%9thDE1.7%10thIR1.6%11thFR1.4%
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München0.3% of the top 10%
Nuclear fission power
9thof 64
1stCN43.3%6–7CA2.1%8thIN1.8%9thDE1.6%10thIT1.4%11thEG1.1%
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf0.4% of the top 10%
Autonomous underwater vehicles
8–13tied, of 443.2 papers of credit
1stCN71.7%8–13CA1.0%8–13JP0.9%8–13DE0.8%8–13IL0.8%8–13GR0.8%
German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence0.3% of the top 10%
Advanced chip manufacturing
9–10tied, of 39
1stCN31.8%7–8IR1.6%9–10HK1.3%9–10DE1.3%11–12CH1.0%11–12NL0.8%
Technische Universität Dresden0.3% of the top 10%
6G and advanced wireless
9–10tied, of 80
1stCN39.9%8thSA2.3%9–10HK2.2%9–10DE2.2%11thSE1.8%12–13AU1.7%
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg0.5% of the top 10%
Advanced composites
10–11tied, of 68
1stCN50.8%7–8KR2.3%9thES1.1%10–11DE1.0%10–11MY0.9%12–14FR0.9%
Leibniz-Institut für Verbundwerkstoffe GmbH0.2% of the top 10%
Hydrogen storage and ammonia fuel
11–12tied, of 68
1stCN44.5%9–10JP2.1%11–12IR1.7%11–12DE1.6%13thTR1.4%14–16MY1.3%
Leibniz Institute for Catalysis0.2% of the top 10%
Distributed ledgers
14–15tied, of 103
1stCN20.6%11–12HK2.0%13thMY2.0%14–15DE1.4%14–15ES1.4%16thSG1.2%
University of Bayreuth0.1% of the top 10%
Sonar and underwater acoustics
15–23tied, of 371.9 papers of credit
1stCN71.6%9–14IR0.9%9–14KR0.9%15–23DE0.5%15–23BR0.4%15–23IQ0.3%
Hamburg University of Technology0.2% of the top 10%
Supercapacitors
17–18tied, of 86
1stCN46.3%16thHK0.7%17–18CA0.6%17–18DE0.6%19–21ES0.5%19–21SG0.5%
Technische Universität Dresden0.1% of the top 10%
Drones and swarming
20–22tied, of 81
1stCN52.2%20–22MO0.7%20–22CH0.7%20–22DE0.7%23–26ES0.6%23–26ET0.6%
RWTH Aachen University0.1% of the top 10%
Cybersecurity
37–40tied, of 104
1stCN14.8%34–36ID0.4%37–40NO0.3%37–40VN0.3%37–40NL0.3%37–40DE0.3%
Outside the top 30
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology0.0% of the top 10%
Electronic warfare
Not ranked
No credit in the top 10%.
Neighbours are the countries ranked just above and below. Ranks are shown as a range where shares are equal to one decimal place. Source: OpenAlex, pulled 18 October 2026. Method
Where Germany is in the top three
PilotEach paper sorted into one sub-area by an AI model reading its title and abstract, then credited as usual. On 200 hand-labelled papers it chose the same sub-area, or a defensible second, 92% of the time. Shown where the sub-area has at least 30 papers in the top 10% and the country at least five papers of credit.
- 1stTechno-economics, hydrogen economy and policy reviewsHydrogen by electrolysis, 213 papers8.2%
- 2ndStellaratorsNuclear fusion, 65 papers; behind United States 39.3%34.8%
- 2ndAtom interferometers, gravimeters and Rydberg-atom sensorsQuantum sensors, 34 papers; behind United States 29.4%19.8%
- 2ndTokamak confinement, transport and turbulenceNuclear fusion, 116 papers; behind United States 23.5%18.4%
- 2ndDivertor, plasma-wall interaction and power exhaustNuclear fusion, 99 papers; behind United States 21.0%16.2%
- 2ndQuantum light sources and photonic chipsQuantum communication, 64 papers; behind China 21.0%16.1%
- 2ndInstabilities, energetic particles and disruptionsNuclear fusion, 81 papers; behind United States 26.6%14.5%
- 2ndPrecise orbits, clocks, biases and reference framesSatellite navigation, 61 papers; behind China 52.6%14.3%
- 2ndScientific simulation codes at scale (molecular, fluids, climate)High-performance computing, 52 papers; behind United States 37.7%14.1%
- 2ndNd-Fe-B permanent magnetsMagnets and superconductors, 79 papers; behind China 58.1%8.3%
- 2ndElectrolyser technologies and stacks (PEM, alkaline, solid oxide)Hydrogen by electrolysis, 75 papers; behind China 20.6%7.8%
- 2ndQuantum software, compilers, control and benchmarkingQuantum computing, 181 papers; behind United States 39.7%7.4%
- 2ndImmune responses to mRNA vaccines and variant escapemRNA vaccines and therapeutics, 144 papers; behind United States 57.6%6.7%
- 3rdEntanglement distribution, repeaters and network nodesQuantum communication, 75 papers; behind United States 27.8% and China 26.7%17.3%
- 3rdDiamond nitrogen-vacancy sensorsQuantum sensors, 97 papers; behind United States 24.4% and China 16.7%16.6%
- 3rdMotion planning and controlAdvanced robotics, 48 papers; behind China 28.7% and United States 13.1%12.3%
- 3rdPhotonic quantum computingQuantum computing, 87 papers; behind China 27.5% and United States 14.7%8.4%
- 3rdPlant natural products and other specialised metabolitesSynthetic biology, 91 papers; behind China 58.8% and United States 7.0%6.7%
- 3rdQuantum error correctionQuantum computing, 156 papers; behind United States 46.8% and United Kingdom 9.0%6.5%
- 3rdStability, degradation and encapsulationPerovskite solar cells, 161 papers; behind China 42.2% and United States 20.5%6.4%
- 3rdVat photopolymerisation, direct ink writing and 4D printingAdditive manufacturing, 152 papers; behind China 25.9% and United States 19.1%5.9%
- 3rdOff-target effects, DNA repair and editing safetyGene editing, 91 papers; behind United States 44.5% and China 15.2%5.6%
- 3rdOther mRNA therapeutics and platform reviewsmRNA vaccines and therapeutics, 112 papers; behind United States 25.7% and China 14.0%5.6%
- 3rdSingle-cell RNA-seq analysis methods and AI modelsGenome sequencing, 159 papers; behind United States 38.1% and China 27.5%4.8%
- 3rdAcidic oxygen-evolution catalysts for PEM electrolysis (Ir, Ru)Hydrogen by electrolysis, 236 papers; behind China 68.2% and United States 4.4%4.1%