The tasks of the Scientific Council are described in the Rules of Association of DESY. Among other tasks the Scientific Council

• promotes the cooperation with universities and other research institutes,
• ensures an optimal use of DESY, together with the directorate and the Scientific Committee,
• cooperates in appointments for the directorate and of leading scientists and
• advises DESY on important scientific matters.

Usually the Scientific Council meets twice a year. It consists of 12 to 15 members, each coopted for 3 years.

In earlier years members of the Scientific Council mainly came from German research institutes. It was therefore complemented by foreign members to the Extended Scientific Council taking into account DESY's international involvements. Because of uniting the foreign and German members in the Scientific Council the Extended Scientific Council was terminated in 2009.

Members of the SC and guests at their meeting in autumn 2011

Members and guests from downstairs to upstairs and from left to right:
Helmut Dosch, Janos Kirz, Guy Wormser, Pippa Wells, Tatsuya Nakada, Ties Behnke, Andy White, Joseph Nordgren, Ursula Bassler, Swapan Chattopadhyay, Massimo Altarelli, Edgar Weckert, Colin Norris, Elena Shapochnikova, Richard Walker, Joachim Mnich, Christian Stegmann, Reinhard Brinkmann, Norbert Holtkamp, Axel Lindner