Max Planck Research Groups – Announcement 2026

Programme Information

The Max Planck Society (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V.; MPG) is a world-leading, independent, non-profit research organization to promote cutting-edge basic research. Over 26,700 employees across 85 Max Planck Institutes and research facilities conduct basic research in the life and natural sciences as well as the humanities, social sciences and law and have a strong interest in innovative and interdisciplinary research.

To support emerging scholars early in their career path, the MPG invites all outstanding scientists with a doctorate working in any field of research pursued in the organization to apply for one of several positions as

Max Planck Research Group Leader

Successful candidates will lead their own independent Max Planck Research Group at a participating Max Planck Institute of their own choice for a period of six years. During this time, they will conduct an innovative, original and ambitious frontier research programme, and pursue external funding opportunities, with a strong emphasis on securing competitive grants such as the ERC Starting Grant. An extension of up to three more years is possible and subject to a positive evaluation as well as the respective legal regulations.

As a Max Planck Research Group Leader, you will enjoy a world-class research environment at a Max Planck Institute with state-of-the-art infrastructure, administrative support, and the intellectual freedom to pursue an original research programme. Your funding package covers a W2 position in accordance with remuneration group W2 Federal Civil Service Remuneration Act (equivalent to assistant or non-tenured associate professor), resources for the hiring of scientific staff, and a generous budget for equipment and consumables. The total allocation for a Max Planck Research Group is competitive with other top international research career development programmes and amounts to up to 2.9 million euros for the initial six years. Start of funding is October 2027 at the earliest, with a build-up phase of up to three months.

Future career opportunities

As current data shows, the position of Max Planck Research Group Leader offers young scientists an excellent opportunity to qualify themselves for key scientific positions within the Max Planck Society or at other institutions. Based on data from December 31, 2025, 79.2% of the 370 former Max Planck Research Group (MPRG) Leaders who have left their position since 2004 were immediately appointed to a full or associate professorship, 17% took another position in academia, and the remaining 3.8% took a position outside academia.

In addition, the MPG and the Technische Universität München (TUM) are continuing their joint MPG/TUM career programme, which offers an add-on opportunity for newly recruited Max Planck Research Group Leaders. Once accepted for the position as Max Planck Research Group Leader, successful candidates can apply for a position as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor at TUM, if available. Acceptance into this joint programme includes the right to award doctoral degrees and further provides career options to Associate and Full Professor status according to the TUM Faculty Tenure Track system (see https://www.tum.de/en/about-tum/careers-and-jobs/faculty-recruiting/tum-faculty-tenure-track and https://www.tum.de/tenure-track-mpg). This offer is independent of the chosen Max Planck Institute. Applicants who consider participating in the MPG/TUM career programme can indicate their interest at the online application portal.

How to apply

As an open and diverse organization, the MPG is characterized by a high proportion of international scientists, its decentralized structures and the subject-specific needs of its three scientific sections. Valuing and promoting all MPG employees regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, social background, and the need to balance work and family life is an overarching organizational development goal of all personnel development and career measures at the MPG. Applications from people with severe disabilities are strongly encouraged.

The Max Planck Institutes and research facilities operated by the MPG are divided into three sections: the Biology and Medicine Section (BMS), the Chemistry, Physics and Technology Section (CPTS), and the Human Sciences Section (HSS). As a first step during the online application process, you are asked to choose your Section. This choice determines which of the three committees will evaluate your application. Please note that each Section has slightly different application instructions which may include additional references and mandatory guidelines on how to prepare your application. As a second step you are asked to identify a research field within the Section and as a third step a Max Planck Institute that could act as host for your group.

Depending on the Section you choose, your application should include the following documents:

Biology and Medicine Section (BMS)

a cover letter;
a CV highlighting past research accomplishments;
a list of publications in which the applicant should identify the three most important papers that they have written. If they are not the first author, they should quantitatively specify their contribution to the paper;
a research summary limited to one page and written for a non-specialist, which explains the main goals of the research work and why the applicant’s preferred MPI and their proposed MPRG would be a good match;
a research proposal of no more than three pages total including all references, figures, and tables, written for a specialist;
links to or copies of the three most important papers;
two letters of recommendation.

Chemistry, Physics and Technology Section (CPTS)

a cover letter;
a CV;
a list of publications in which the applicant should identify the three most important papers that they have written. If they are not the first author, they should quantitatively specify their contribution to the paper;
a research summary limited to one page (11-point type, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 25mm margins on 4 sides) and written for a non-specialist, which explains the main goals of the research work and why the applicant’s preferred MPI and their proposed MPRG would be a good match;
links to or copies of the three most important papers.
a research proposal of no more than three pages total (11-point type, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 25mm margins on 4 sides) including all references, figures, and tables, written for a specialist;
two letters of recommendation.

Human Sciences Section (HSS)

a cover letter;
a CV;
a list of publications in which the applicant should identify the three most important papers that they have written. If they are not the first author, they should quantitatively specify their contribution to the paper;
a research summary limited to one page (11-point type, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 25mm margins on 4 sides) and written for a non-specialist, which explains the main goals of the research work and why the applicant’s preferred MPI and their proposed MPRG would be a good match;
a research proposal of no more than five pages total (11-point type, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 25mm margins on 4 sides) including all references, figures, and tables, written for a specialist;
links to or copies of the three most important papers;
two letters of recommendation.

To submit your application, please visit: https://mprg.cloud.opencampus.net/

The deadline (limitation period) for applications is October 14, 2026, 11:59 pm Central European Time.

For more information about the Max Planck Society and its Institutes, please see https://www.mpg.de/en /

Frequently asked questions

For further information about Max Planck Research Groups and the selection procedure in general, we recommend visiting our FAQ page.