Max Planck Institutes are research institutions operated by the Max Planck Society. There are over 80 institutes. Most of them are located in Germany, although there are other locations in other European countries and the United States.
Institutes are organized into five categories according to their research area: Astronomy & Astrophysics Biology & Medicine Material & Technology Environment & Climate Humanities
One institute can belong to several research areas. In addition, it can also belong to several more specialized research fields. In administrative terms, the institutes of the Max Planck Society are divided into three sections: Biology and Medicine, Chemistry, Physics and Technology and Human Sciences.Organizational structure of the Max Planck Society
Institutes and Research Units As of April 2024, the following Max Planck Institutes and Research Units exist (in alphabetical order):
NameLocationResearch areas Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics Frankfurt cultural studies, social science, cognitive science, linguistics Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell / Konstanz evolutionary biology, ethology, ecology Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig Evolutionary anthropology, developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genetics and ancient DNA, behavioral ecology, primatology, cultural evolution, linguistics, and cognitive science Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology Halle cultural studies, jurisprudence, social and behavioural sciences Max Planck Institute for Astronomy Heidelberg astronomy, astrophysics Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics Garching astronomy, astrophysics Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History Rome (Italy) cultural studies Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry Martinsried developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, immunology, infection biology, medicine, structural biology, cell biology Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry Jena microbiology, ecology, earth science, climatology Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence Martinsried / Seewiesen organismic biology, ornithology, neurobiology, behavioural ecology, evolutionary biology, evolutionary genetics, neuroscience Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing Cologne developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, structural biology, cell biology Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine Münster developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, immunology, infection biology, medicine, structural biology, cell biology Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen Tübingen developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, botany, structural biology, cell biology Max Planck Institute of Biophysics Frankfurt developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, structural biology, cell biology Max Planck Institute for Brain Research Frankfurt neuroscience Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics Dresden developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, neuroscience, structural biology, cell biology Max Planck Institute for Chemistry Mainz chemistry, earth science, climatology Max Planck Institute for Coal Research Mülheim chemistry, solid-state physics, materials science Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig neuroscience, cognitive science, linguistics Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods Bonn jurisprudence, social and behavioural sciences Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces Golm immunology, infection biology, medicine, structural biology, cell biology chemistry, solid-state physics, materials science Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law Freiburg jurisprudence, social and behavioural sciences Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics Tübingen neuroscience, cognitive science Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research Rostock social and behavioural sciences Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity Göttingen cultural studies, social and behavioural sciences Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems Magdeburg structural biology, cell biology chemistry, complex systems Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization Göttingen neuroscience, structural biology, cell biology solid-state physics, materials science, complex systems Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology Jena developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, microbiology, ecology, neuroscience, botany Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion Mülheim structural biology, cell biology chemistry Ernst Strüngmann Institute for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society (associated institute) Frankfurt medicine, neuroscience Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology Plön developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, behavioural biology Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience Jupiter, Florida (United States) neuroscience, structural biology, cell biology Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society Tübingen developmental biology, evolutionary biology, structural biology, cell biology Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society Berlin chemistry, solid-state physics, materials science, particle physics, plasma physics, quantum mechanics Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics Berlin developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, immunology, infection biology, medicine Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology Jena evolutionary biology, genetics, infection biology, social science, linguistics Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics Golm / Hanover astronomy, astrophysics, particle physics, plasma physics, quantum mechanics Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research Bad Nauheim developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, immunology, infection biology, medicine, physiology Max Planck Institute for the History of Science Berlin cultural studies Max Planck Institute for Human Development Berlin cultural studies, cognitive science, social and behavioural sciences Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics Freiburg developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, immunology, infection biology, medicine Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology Berlin immunology, infection biology, medicine Max Planck Institute for Informatics Saarbrücken computer science Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition Munich jurisprudence, social and behavioural sciences Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems Stuttgart / Tübingen solid-state physics, materials science, structural biology, cell biology, computer science Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz Florence (Italy) cultural studies Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law Hamburg jurisprudence Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law Heidelberg jurisprudence, social and behavioural sciences Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy Munich jurisprudence, social and behavioural sciences Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance Munich jurisprudence Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory Frankfurt cultural studies, jurisprudence Max Planck Institute for Mathematics Bonn mathematics Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences Leipzig mathematics Max Planck Institute for Medical Research Heidelberg structural biology, cell biology Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research Cologne immunology, infection biology, medicine, neuroscience Max Planck Institute for Meteorology Hamburg earth science, climatology Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology Bremen microbiology, ecology, chemistry Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology Marburg developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, microbiology, ecology, botany Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics Halle solid-state physics, materials science, particle physics, plasma physics, quantum mechanics Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences Göttingen neuroscience, medicine, chemistry, structural biology, genetics, evolutionary biology, developmental biology, cell biology, infection biology, immunology, particle physics, plasma physics, quantum mechanics Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar Bonn developmental biology, genetics, immunology, medicine, neuroscience, structural biology, cell biology Max Planck Research Unit for Neurogenetics Frankfurt genetics, medicine, neuroscience, cell biology Research Group Social Neuroscience Berlin neuroscience, social and behavioural sciences Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens Berlin genetics, immunology, infection biology, medicine, microbiology Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics Heidelberg astronomy, astrophysics, particle physics, plasma physics, quantum mechanics Max Planck Institute for Physics Garching astronomy, astrophysics, particle physics, plasma physics, quantum mechanics Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems Dresden solid-state physics, materials science, complex systems Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids Dresden chemistry, solid-state physics, materials science, particle physics, plasma physics, quantum mechanics Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics Garching astronomy, astrophysics, complex systems Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light Erlangen solid-state physics, materials science, quantum mechanics, medicine, microbiology, cell biology Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology Dortmund structural biology, cell biology physiology, chemistry Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research Cologne developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, botany Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology Golm botany, structural biology, cell biology, physiology Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics Garching / Greifswald particle physics, plasma physics, quantum mechanics Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research Mainz structural biology, cell biology chemistry, solid-state physics, materials science Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry Munich developmental biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, immunology, infection biology, medicine, neuroscience, physiology, cognitive science, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics Nijmegen (Netherlands) cognitive science, linguistics Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics Garching particle physics, plasma physics, quantum mechanics Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy Bonn astronomy, astrophysics Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy Bochum computer science Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies Cologne social and behavioural sciences Max Planck Institute for Software Systems Kaiserslautern / Saarbrücken computer science Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research Göttingen astronomy, astrophysics Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research Stuttgart chemistry, solid-state physics, materials science, particle physics, plasma physics, quantum mechanics Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter Hamburg solid-state physics, materials science Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials Düsseldorf chemistry, solid-state physics, materials science
Former Max Planck Institute for the Study of Living Conditions in the Scientific and Technical World (founded in 1970, renamed to Max Planck Institut for Social Sciences in 1980, closed in 1984) Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry (merged with the Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine to form the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 1 January 2022) Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine (merged with the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry to form the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 1 January 2022) Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology (merged with the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology to form the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, 1 January 2023)