To envision your future, you have to know your past

Interview with Peter Gruss, President of the Max Planck Society since 2002.

January 10, 2011

Peter Gruss has been President of the Max Planck Society since 2002. He is the seventh President since the Max Planck Society's foundation 62 years ago and is the successor of many renowned scientists, some of whom held the office during the period of the precursor organisation, the Kaiser Wilhelm Society. Prior to taking over the helm of the Max Planck Society, Gruss, a renowned biologist was director at the MPI for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen, the city where the Max Planck Society was founded. In this interview with MaxPlanckJournal, Gruss talks about his relationship with the history of both research organisations.

What significance does this centenary have to you?

Peter Gruss: It is an imperative for the Max Planck Society to remember its roots and the foundation of its predecessor organisation. Understanding our history is of key importance because the Kaiser Wilhelm Society is part of our identity. Its scientific principles of organisation and its reputation for scientific excellence formed the basis for the Max Planck Society's subsequent successful development. At the same time, we must accept responsibility for the ethical transgressions of our precursor institution. Generally, however, our relationship to the Kaiser Wilhelm Society is characterised by renewal: after more than sixty years we have moved beyond the history of the KWS.

How does the Max Planck Society plan to celebrate its anniversary, and what are the focal points of this celebration?

Peter Gruss: We will be celebrating the centenary of our predecessor organisation with a festive event on January 11, the very same date on which the Kaiser Wilhelm Society was founded in 1911. The event will take place in Berlin, which is the foundation city of the KWS. January 11, 1911 marked the beginning of a century of basic research conducted according to the highest global standards. At the same time, this anniversary is an occasion for us to define the position of the Max Planck Society today. It was of central importance for our successful development that the Allies insisted on the dissolution of the KWS in a move designed to ensure that the newly established research organisation would be committed to democratic principles. Today, the Max Planck Society looks back on sixty years of successful scientific research, and has thus been in existence longer than the KWS. In our anniversary celebrations on January 11 we want to emphasise what we have in common but also what distinguishes the two organisations from each other. I am delighted that the former federal chancellor Helmut Schmidt will be talking about "Autonomy and Responsibility in Science" and Rogers Hollingsworth will describe the model for success employed by both institutions. Several Max Planck Institutes are offering presentations and panel discussions to the wider public, which investigate current research subjects within terms of ethical considerations. In addition, a podcast series about Nobel Prize Laureates of the Max Planck Society is also in preparation.

What is the relationship of the MPG to its predecessor organization?

Peter Gruss: Only one quarter of the institutes have their roots in the Kaiser Wilhelm Society. One third of our directors come from abroad. This means that at many institutes, the memory of the KWS is no longer very strong. Personally, I have the greatest respect for many KWS scientists whose research achievements have revolutionised our understanding of the world. In total, 15 KWS scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize. On the other hand, the example of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society shows us that science can be corrupted, as evidenced in the conduct of several scientists in the Third Reich period who transgressed ethical boundaries. It took the Max Planck Society a very long time to come to terms with the fact that it was not only "pure" basic research, independent of the criminal Nazi regime, that was carried out in the KWS, a long and difficult process for the relatives and victims of research carried out on twins and the relatives of those murdered under the Nazis "euthanasia" programme. In light of this history, it is therefore a particular priority for me that today's research must reflect the highest ethical standards. In this respect, it is not only important to look back and learn from the past how to face the future, but also to be aware of the ever present dangers – even if we are living in completely different circumstances today – and finally to establish mechanisms within research which are aimed at "self-control".

How does the MPG prevent potential misconduct and abuse of science?  

Peter Gruss: Even before the Presidential Commission of the MPG investigated the role of the KWS in the Third Reich, the MPG has always been very alert to possible misconduct in science. Scientists and researchers carrying out basic research at the frontiers of knowledge should always be aware of ethical boundaries. With this in mind, we set up a panel and implemented regulations specifically dedicated to this problem. The Ethics Council under the chairmanship of Prof. Rüdiger Wolfrum examines topical questions of research ethics within the Max Planck Society. Currently, EU regulations for the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, synthetic biology and nanotechnology are on the Ethic Council's agenda. In addition we revised our ""Rules of Good Scientific Practice" last year. In March 2010, our Senate adopted the "Guidelines and Rules of the Max Planck Society on a Responsible Approach to Freedom of Research and Research Risks". Of particular importance are the so-called cases of "Dual Use", the capacity of research results being used for peaceful but also for harmful purposes: for example, findings from materials research and nanotechnology could be misused to develop weaponry, research in stem cells for the creation of hybrids, and new psychological research could lead to the development of new methods of torture, such as “aggressive questioning techniques”. 

How does the Max Planck Society keep a sense of awareness for the Kaiser Wilhelm Society alive? Do international scientists or junior scientists and researchers have any interest in the KWS? 

Peter Gruss: The individual institutes all have a different sense of tradition with regard to the KWS, which depends on the institutes' historical relationship with the Kaiser Wilhelm Society and to which extent they wish to work through their own history. One good example is the Fritz Haber Institute which took the anniversary as an opportunity to examine its changeable history. In an interactive feature, the new web presence of the Max Planck Society describes the history of both organisations; and the newly published volume of photographs and essays "Places of History and Memory" offers new expressions of our relationship with the past. In addition, we are planning to publish a special volume for our Annual Meeting, which will collect the speeches presented at our centenary celebrations, survey the history of our organisation and include research highlights for further reference, but also reflect upon the process of working through our past.

What is the secret of success for the Max Planck Society today?

Peter Gruss: The Max Planck Society was able to build on the successes of the KWS. Both organisations have granted their scientists a degree of freedom that was, and continues to be, highly envied worldwide. The Max Planck Society is a place where the principle "creativity" is lived in daily practice, which is reflected among other things in its 17 Nobel Laureates. Our institutes work as a creative unity – they are large enough to be able to have sufficiently critical mass, but small enough to remain agile "speed boats". The secret lies in the fact that we are dynamic, flexible and willing to continuously change. If a director leaves, we close  his department. If we cannot find a top researcher in a desired field or if a special subject area is changing, we are even prepared to close an entire institute. At the same time, we ensure that the highest quality is always maintained by having our institutes evaluated every two years by more than 700 scientists from all over the world. Such an evaluation system did not exist in the KWS. And furthermore: freedom of thought requires certain financial framework conditions. The treaty on the financing of scientific research institutions, the so-called "Königsteiner Abkommen" of 1949, guarantees us funding by the federal government and states. In addition, it is also ever more the case that donations – most recently raised with the help of our Max Planck Foundation – enable us to provide flexible support to research and to expand our portfolio in an unbureaucratic manner. The Max Planck Society does not carry out contract research, but it is of course of greatest importance to us that the results from our basic research will be translated into practical application. After all, our research seeks answers to the major questions facing humanity in our time, such as fighting epidemics, climate change, or treating depression. This is why we also work with industry, and we have recently found an excellent partner in the Fraunhofer Society, with which we currently have 17 collaborative projects.

In your opinion, what were the greatest challenges for the MPG?  

Peter Gruss: The 1960s were years of enormous growth for the MPG, which continued into the 70s. In 1972, for example, the Institute Centre was established on Nikolausberg, in Göttingen. The same year saw the foundation of a state-of-the-art biochemistry centre in Martinsried, near Munich. German reunification presented another interesting challenge: within just a few years, the Max Planck Society established 18 new institutes, a sub-institute, and a research agency. I also believe that another challenge for the Max Planck Society has been - after decades of an autonomous and successful history - to emancipate itself from the history of the KWS without having to deny its history of continuity and renewal. The foundation for this was our re-evaluation and acceptance of the history of the KWS. And it will be important to see how we succeed in preserving the specifics of the Max Planck Society in a changing national but also international environment. After all, we want to continue our successful basic research in the next 100 years.

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