The key idea is to conduct this research in an interdisciplinary framework, based upon common underlying concepts for the theoretical and phenomenological understanding of the physical phenomena in those research areas.

The program aims at fostering forefront research on matter under extreme conditions of temperature, pressure or density. In total, more than 400 scientists (including students) at the partner institutions perform research in the framework of EMMI. In addition to the partner institutions, EMMI benefits from the expertise of internationally renowned scientists who are closely linked to it as Associated Partners.

The main research areas of EMMI are

• properties of the quark-gluon plasma and the phase structure of strongly interacting matter and new hadronic states
• structure and dynamics of neutron matter
• electromagnetic plasmas of high energy density
• ultra-cold quantum gases and extreme states in atomic physics,

all understood in a broad sense.