The founding of the Helmholtz Association e.V. in September 2001 and the simultaneously introduced program-oriented funding for the 15 affiliated large research institutions marked the most comprehensive structural reform in the German scientific landscape to date. It is primarily based on a continuous scientific evaluation system, embedded within an overall strategy of the Helmholtz Association. Sabine Helling-Moegen provides an instructive review of the reform process. She reports on how the concept took shape within the federally structured German research landscape, negotiated by largely autonomous actors, and ultimately became a reality. A crucial aspect is how and to what extent the involved scientists can be motivated for new initiatives, as without their support, any funding or steering mechanism would be futile. The discussion involves the influences and steering impulses of the legal entities of the large research institutions and the participating representatives from business and society. In the end, there is an initial constructive assessment, which also reveals the challenges that can arise with strategic planning in science. The author bases her detailed account on numerous unpublished documents as well as 40 interviews with key players from politics and science.