Europe's top research as a driver of innovation

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Max Planck research often proves remarkably useful for industry and society Lab worker pipetting liquid into a glass container, with chemical formulas symbolizing innovative research.

Turning knowledge into business

The Max Planck Society stands for excellent basic research, the results of which often lay the foundation for groundbreaking innovations. more

Start-ups from science [video]

Patrick Cramer talks with Bram Wijlands, Managing Director of Max Planck Innovation, about fusion power plants for a more sustainable future, improved battery energy storage, quantum computers from planqc, and the AI start-up Meshcapade from Cyber Valley (in German). more

Research news

Five circles with portraits of people surrounding the ERC Synergy Grants logo on a blue background.

Strong as a team

November 06, 2025
Europe Research Policy
Five ERC Synergy Grants awarded to Max Planck scientists this year
Playa del Carmen, a popular vacation destination on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, faces significant Sargassum strandings during summer months, as do other Caribbean coastlines. To maintain beach access for swimmers, the brown algae must be regularly cleared using machinery.

The driver of Sargassum blooms

November 05, 2025
Chemie (U&K) Ecology (B&M) Ecology (E&C)
Upwelling of phosphorus-rich deep water promotes an N-fixing symbiont of the Sargassum algae giving it a competitive advantage.
Geographic distribution of samples in Eurasia depicted with bars, color-coded by age from purple to yellow, and varying heights indicating sample quantity.

Some early East Asians did not meet Denisovans

November 04, 2025
Denisovan Neanderthals
Researchers reveal the dynamics of Denisovan ancestry in Eurasians over the past 40,000 years
Further News

Career

Full indoor shot of a large, dark-red robotic arm and a dark-red, dome-shaped object suspended from it, along with two people standing in the foreground. The arm is large and complex, with many dark-colored, flexible components and a dark-grey base. Steps and caution tape are visible on the floor around the base of the robotic arm. A dark-red, rounded object resembles a large head or helmet, suspended from the robotic arm, hanging over the scene. The material is smooth and appears to be some kind of composite. Two individuals are centrally positioned in front of the robotic apparatus. A man and a woman stand side-by-side, smiling, looking at the camera. Both wear casual clothing: the man wears a maroon-colored t-shirt and dark-colored pants, while the woman is wearing a teal-green sweater and dark-wash jeans. The background is mostly dark grey walls and a dark-grey floor surface. The walls appear to be made of brick-like or panelled material. The overall impression is of a technological or manufacturing environment, potentially a research lab or design studio. The image highlights a sophisticated piece of industrial machinery alongside human operators.

Innovative training programmes for Phd students

Talented German and foreign junior scientists are offered the opportunity to earn a doctorate under excellent research conditions
Group photo of postdocs conducting research at a Max Planck Institute

Max Planck Postdoc Program

September 01, 2025
The Max Planck Postdoc Program offers a guaranteed contract of at least 3 years, targeted mentoring, and career workshops. The second call for applications is currently open

Job Offers

Head of Bioinformatics Facility (m/f/d)

Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg
November 06, 2025

Scientific Staff member (m/f/d)

Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Erlangen
November 05, 2025

Fully funded doctoral positions | Epigenetics, Biophysics and Metabolism

Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg
November 05, 2025

PhD student (m/f/d)

Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried
November 04, 2025
to the JobBoard
Career

Topic Specials

The muddy hands of a person cupped together under a water tap in a muddy background.

Climate and Transformation

In addition to climate forecasts, the consequences of climate change are increasingly becoming the focus of research at Max Planck Institutes
A schematic view from above of a human brain with many coloured fibres connecting the two halves and extending out in various directions.

The brain

The human brain is the most complex organ that nature has ever produced: 100 billion nerve cells and many times more contact points give it capabilities that no supercomputer can match
Full shot of a world map, likely a graphic design or print, overlaid with numerous passport stamps of varying colors and sizes.

Migration

The causes and consequences of human mobility and its history are central topics for research at Max Planck Institutes
Further Topic Specials

Publications


Illustration of networks and two persons
Research is Calling! cover
Cover of the MaxPlanckResearch 2/2025 Science Magazine
Image brochure - Max Planck Society
Cover - Highlights 2024 from the Yearbook of the Max Planck Society
Annual Report 2024 cover - Max Planck Society
Living and Working in Germany cover
Evaluation cover

From the Institutes


MPI for Biology of Ageing
Protective Brain Immune Cell State Discovered more
MPI for Biological Cybernetics
Novel Technique Improves Brain-State Detection more
MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology
Stone tools through generations more
MPI for Chemical Ecology
Symbiotic bacteria build tubular networks  more
MPI for Marine Microbiology, et al.
Nitrous oxide is trapped in the Black Sea more
MPI for Evolutionary Biology
Jumbo Phages for Gene Transfer in Bacteria  more
MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology, et al.
Turbo Platform for Plant Research more
MPI for Chemical Physics of Solids
Bulk Altermagnetism in Manganese telluride  more
MPI of Biophysics
SNDing proteins into the membrane more
MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Brain activity at a party more
MPI for Chemical Ecology
Matching gene expression to metabolite production in single plant cells more
MPI for Innovation and Competition
Innovation Research in the very heart of Munich more
MPI for Physics
How can we observe the birth of the universe? more
Icarus, et al.
A New Global Network for the Study of Animal Movement more
MPI for Multidisciplinary Sciences
New druggable protein discovered in Leishmania parasites  more
MPI for Heart and Lung Research
How muscle stem cells maintain regenerative power more
MPI of Molecular Physiology
Dancing proteins keep cells moving more
MPI for Chemical Ecology
Final step in the biosynthesis of iridoids elucidated more

Events

November 2025
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Night of Science 2025

Nov 8, 2025 from 05:00 PM to 11:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Albert Einstein in Dahlem. Following the footsteps of a genius

Nov 9, 2025 from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM (Local Time Germany)

Upcoming Events

Night of Science 2025

Nov 8, 2025 05:00 PM - 11:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
AEI Hannover, Callinstr. 38, 30167 Hannover

Albert Einstein in Dahlem. Following the footsteps of a genius

Nov 9, 2025 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM (Local Time Germany)
Harnack-Haus, Ihnestr. 16, Berlin-Dahlem

Tomorrow Labs: The Festival at the Science Port Magdeburg - 6 June 2026

Jun 6, 2026 04:00 PM - 09:59 PM (Local Time Germany)
Magdeburg
All Events

Multimedia


Screenshot of the picture gallery "My Science and Me"

My Science and Me

What fascinates scientists about their research? What drives them? Science thrives on the people who shape it. Our picture gallery depicts aspects of research from the perspective of those who carry it out
Two smiling women standing looking in the direction of the camera with a dark background.

Unraveling Behavior

Podcast
A science podcast about the patterns driving human judgment and decision making. In each episode,  Ana Sofia Morais sits down with a researcher to explore how people make decisions, how they handle risk, and how our surroundings and the online world shape our behavior.
A microsopic view of a fluorescent green worm on a black background.

Cell droplet research

Video
A new hope for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. A film about the research of Anthony Hyman, who was awared the Koerber Prize 2022 and the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences 2023.
A sombre grey cartoon image of four people sitting on a bench.

Flight and Trauma

Video
Traumatic experiences from fleeing war zones can lead to distressing symptoms, which impair everyday life. Now with Ukranian sub-titles.
more
Optogenetics | briefly explained

Optogenetics | briefly explained

Video
Turning nerve cells on and off using pulses of light. Optogenetics is a relatively new field that uses light to control genetically modified cells. It is based on light-activated membrane proteins, such as bacteriorhodopsin or channelrhodopsin, that are built into nerve cells.
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Social Media

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