The German Society for Electron Microscopy is a registered non-profit association (e.V.) in the Düsseldorf Register of Associations. It pursues exclusively and directly non-profit purposes within the meaning of tax law.

According to its statutes, the DGE’s mission is to promote electron microscopy and other microscopic methods and techniques in research, technology, and industry, to support its members in their professional development, to organize conferences, and to foster international relations. These activities are coordinated by the executive board, which is elected in accordance with the rules for postal or online voting.

The DGE has around 700 members. Every two years, the DGE organizes a national conference. Since 1949, conferences have been held, and since 1985, every four years, joint tri-national conferences have been organized together with the microscopy societies of Austria and Switzerland (list of past and upcoming conferences). The upcoming conference (42nd DGE conference / tri-national conference) is scheduled as the Microscopy Conference MC2025, to be held in Karlsruhe from August 31 – September 4, 2025.

For current topics in microscopy, the DGE has established working groups that meet at least once a year. In addition, the DGE promotes laboratory courses and workshops on specific microscopic techniques.

The DGE provides financial support for young, not fully funded scientists to attend national and international microscopy conferences, as well as for students to participate in DGE working group meetings.

The DGE organizes the awarding of the international Ernst Ruska Prize and the Harald Rose Distinguished Lecture Award sponsored by CEOS. Other DGE prizes include the DGE advancement award, donated by E. Ruska, for outstanding master, diploma, or doctoral theses submitted at a German university —preferably of a methodologically innovative nature in the field of microscopy—and the DGE award for outstanding technicians, which honors technical staff for outstanding contributions to the development and application of microscopy.

The DGE is a member of the International Federation of Societies for Microscopy (IFSM). Furthermore, the DGE is represented in the European Microscopy Society (EMS) through en-bloc memberships (further details at www.eurmicsoc.org).