If you don't invest in basic research at some stage you start losing the basis of applied research.

In 2004 he was appointed DESY's Research Director. On 12 November 2012 he was awarded an Edison Volta Prize. In December 2007 the CERN research council announced that Heuer will take office as CERN's Director General starting 1 January 2009 following the term of Robert Aymar.