Heidelberg Laureate Forum

The Heidelberg Laureate Forum (HLF) is a networking conference where 200 carefully selected young researchers in mathematics and computer science spend a week interacting with the laureates of the disciplines: recipients of the Abel Prize, ACM A.M. Turing Award, ACM Prize in Computing, Fields Medal, IMU Abacus Medal and Nevanlinna Prize. Established in 2013, the HLF is annually organized by the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation (HLFF).

With a blend of scientific and social program elements, the HLF platform is especially designed to initiate exchange among the participants. Laureates give lectures on subjects of their choosing which are primarily directed at the participating young scientists. Those lectures should be the starting point of intensive discussions between the laureates and the young researchers during the forum. This means that the Forum is not a classical scientific conference but a networking event meant to motivate and inspire the next generation of scientists. Providing a space for ideas to take shape and evolve is what defines the Forum's underlying purpose.

The HLF was initiated by the German foundation Klaus Tschira Stiftung (KTS), which promotes natural sciences, mathematics and computer science. Inspired by the idea of providing bright young minds the opportunity to interact with their scientific role models, physicist and co-founder of SAP, Klaus Tschira (1940–2015) laid the groundwork for the Forum to exist. On May 22, 2012, a formal agreement between the organizers and the award-granting institutions was signed in Oslo and the following year the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation was formally established.