HIPS was founded in 2009 as a branch of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in cooperation with Saarland University and is the first publicly funded non-university research institution in Germany dedicated exclusively to pharmaceutical research. HIPS focuses on the discovery and development of new active substances for the treatment of infectious diseases.

The HIPS departments work closely with Saarland University and the local pharmaceutical industry, as well as with national and international research institutions and companies. Since 2009, HIPS has grown steadily to around 270 employees and is currently being expanded in terms of space and focus with funding from the state and federal government. The core research areas of medicinal chemistry and natural product research are being specifically strengthened, and the scientific portfolio of HIPS is being further expanded with state-of-the-art bioinformatics and microbiota research. To accommodate the growing number of researchers at HIPS, new laboratory and office space is currently being set up.

This research center is part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. With more than 42,000 employees and an annual budget of over € 5 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest scientific organisation.