“Insight must precede application.” — Max Planck
The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science is a 60-year-old independent, non-profit scientific research organization with its headquarters in Munich, Germany. Since its establishment in 1948, no fewer than 18 Nobel laureates have emerged from the ranks of its scientists, putting it on a par with the best and most prestigious research institutions worldwide. The more than 13,000 publications each year in internationally renowned scientific journals are proof of the outstanding research work conducted at Max Planck Institutes – and many of those articles are among the most-cited publications in the relevant field. What is the basis of this success? The scientific attractiveness of the Max Planck Society is based on its understanding of research: Max Planck Institutes are built up solely around the world’s leading researchers. They themselves define their research subjects and are given the best working conditions, as well as free reign in selecting their staff.
With an annual operating budget of $1.8 billion, 83 institutes located mainly in Germany and now in the United States, and a staff of 21,000, including scientists, doctoral students, student assistants, research fellows and visiting scientists, the Max Planck Society pioneers research at the frontiers of human knowledge in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.
Max Planck scientists conduct basic research in the service of the general public. They make groundbreaking discoveries with worldwide impact; create new medical applications; unearth the basic materials of the future, and advise politics, business and society on urgent questions concerning the development of the world. The interdisciplinary research areas provide many opportunities to work with universities and other research organizations.
Max Planck Institutes focus on research fields that are particularly innovative, or that are especially demanding in terms of funding or time requirements. And their research spectrum is continually evolving: new institutes are established to find answers to seminal, forward-looking scientific questions, while others are closed when, for example, their research field has been widely established at universities. This continuous renewal preserves the scope the Max Planck Society needs to react quickly to pioneering scientific developments.
To read more about Max Planck Society please visit the Max Planck Society website.