Innovation Research in the very heart of Munich
The Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition celebrated the Grand Opening of its new premises at Munich‘s Stachus on 20 October 2025.
Significance: High-ranking representatives emphasized the Institute's central role in researching innovation and its impact on society and the economy.
Panel discussion: Experts discussed the role of innovation research in policy and the balance between social values and economic interests.
New location: The listed Herzog Max building is considered a model for the revitalization of urban spheres and is also intended to serve as a showcase for science.
In their welcoming addresses, Patrick Cramer, President of the Max Planck Society, and leading representatives from science, politics, and society highlighted the importance of the Institute’s research, and the opportunities to create impulses in the new environment. It emerged clearly that research serves not only as a driving force for innovation and progress, but also, in light of current societal developments, must be more deeply rooted in the heart of society than ever before.
Prof. Dr. Patrick Cramer, President of the Max Planck Society
“The Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition is at the cutting edge of our times with its mission. It researches the legal and economic foundations of innovation, competition, and regulation. At a time when Germany must reinvent itself amid digital transformation, bureaucratic inflexibility, and geopolitical tensions, this research — especially this research — is indispensable. It is research that first poses the questions before providing the answers through which the Institute offers guidance for the societal and political process — a process we can never replace, only accompany. The relocation sends a clear signal: science — and particularly such important research as is conducted here, which also touches on the future of our economic system — belongs at the heart of the city, at the heart of society.”
Dr. Johannes Eberle, Bavarian State Ministry for Science and the Arts, Head of the department Research/Science System
“The Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition embodies everything a science minister, an economics minister, or a federal minister could wish for: it delivers outstanding research that does not remain confined to the so-called ivory tower, but reaches and impacts society as a whole — and has done so for almost 60 years. Since its founding in 1966, the Institute has been a key source of inspiration for the major issues of our time. […] Yet, an institute devoted to innovation and competition does not, of course, live primarily on its past achievements, but on its creative energy for the present and the future. Here, too, it is evident that the Institute has its finger on the pulse of the times, contributing more than ever to addressing the key questions of our society. It makes valuable contributions to the great transformations of our century, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence — especially with regard to the major challenges of data and copyright law. Moreover, it provides highly relevant research on how innovation and government incentives can help stimulate a stagnating economy.”
Dominik Krause, First Deputy Mayor of the City of Munich
“The Max Planck Institutes are a fundamental part of the innovation ecosystem we have here in Munich — and this is especially true for the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition. I would also like to congratulate you on your move to the beautiful Herzog Max building. You and your colleagues are doing outstanding work — now in a location that could not be more central, and one that sets an example for the future of Munich’s city center. Congratulations on your relocation — also on behalf of the City of Munich. We are truly delighted to have you here, in the very heart of our city.”
The event centered on a panel discussion entitled “Inform, Advise, Shape – Innovation Research and Policy”, featuring outstanding personalities. Journalist and moderator Dr. Jan-Martin Wiarda spoke with leading experts about key issues at the interface between science and politics. The panel guests Prof. Dr. Irene Bertschek (Chair of the Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation), Rafael Laguna de la Vera (Director of the Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovations SPRIND), and Prof. Dr. Rupprecht Podszun (Member of the Monopolies Commission) discussed, among other things, the role that innovation research can play in policy advice and where its limits lie, how social values can be reconciled with economic interests, how major challenges of our time can be addressed, and which new dangers might arise at the same time.
The program also included guided tours of the landmark, listed building at Karlstor, which also houses the Institute’s renowned library. Its collection currently comprises more than 245,000 volumes, is unique worldwide in its international orientation and completeness, and attracts academics from around the world.
While many German city centers are struggling with vacancies and dwindling interest, the building known as “Herzog Max” is a forward-looking project that sets standards for the transformation of city centers. This was highlighted in a panel discussion between architect Thomas Fechtner (OSA Ochs Schmidhuber Architekten) and owner representative Günter Koller (Wilhelm von Finck Hauptverwaltung GmbH) in conversation with the Institute’s managing director, Prof. Dr. Josef Drexl, and moderator Dr. Jan-Martin Wiarda. The remarkable redevelopment demonstrates how urban centers can reinvent themselves. The Institute also intends to use its new location as an opportunity to offer the urban society a “showcase to science” and to help the public better understand the significance of complex scientific topics.