The Senate is the statutory body of the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG,) responsible for science policy.

It attends to matters of general concern in research, promotes cooperation in science, advises government, parliaments and public authorities by issuing scientifically founded statements and promotes the interests of German research in relation to international science and the humanities. The Senate of the DFG has 39 members from the scientific and academic communities of which 36 are elected by the General Assembly for three-year terms. Onur Güntürkün was now elected for the period beginning with fall 2013. It is a great honor to be a member of the DFG senate. But this honor comes with the outstanding responsibility to decide on matters that deeply affect all aspects of science in Germany