The Protestant institute for research came into being in 1957–58 when two smaller church-supported scholarly associations were merged. One of them was the research community of the Protestant Academies, seated in Bad Boll, Württemberg, that had launched a renowned commission for research into Marxism. The other was a community called „Christophorus-Stift“ in Hemer, Westphalia. Its members investigated ecclesiastical law (Hans Dombois) and engaged in the dialog of theology and philosophy with quantum physics (Günter Howe). The new Protestant institute which resulted from this merger was established in Heidelberg, Baden, and named „Forschungsstätte der Evangelischen Studiengemeinschaft“ (FEST), seat of the Protestant research community. The philosopher Georg Picht was called to be its first director. Picht ushered in a reform of educational system. From 1964 on, he also taught, as full professor, philosophy of religion in the theology department of the university of Heidelberg.