The Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities has been awarding the State Research Prize together with the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts (external link) since 1989. Since 1999, the prize has been divided into two parts. Since then, half of the prize money has been awarded for basic research and half for applied research.
In 2016, the award was supplemented by the nationwide unique Prize for Courageous Science (internal link), which is announced and awarded together with the State Research Prize.