Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science is a Berlin-based, government-funded non-profit research institute within the Max Planck Society, studying the history of science across cultures and periods. It serves global scholars, doctoral students, and the public through open-access publications, digital databases, and educational resources.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Max Planck Institute for the History of Science does
The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG), founded in 1994 in Berlin, is a non-profit research institute and one of more than 80 institutes administered by the Max Planck Society, Germany's leading basic research organization. Its mission is to study scientific thinking and practice as historical phenomena, examining how categories of thinking, proving, and experiencing have emerged across cultures and periods. The institute is organized around two departments — Knowledge Systems and Collective Life (directed by Etienne Benson) and Artifacts, Action, Knowledge (directed by Dagmar Schäfer) — plus research groups (ASTRA, China in the Global System of Science, Premodern Sciences of Soul & Body) and the Singapore-based Centre for Biocultural Worlding (CBCW) with NTU.
Its core outputs include peer-reviewed open-access publications, specialized digital databases (notably the Visualization and Material Culture of the Heavens Database and the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative), the Edition Open Access publication platform, the PuRe institutional repository, and educational resources such as the 2026 "Teaching Animal Mobilities" curriculum. Technology infrastructure is built on Drupal-based websites, Matomo analytics, and a Digital Humanities Team supporting computational history of science methods. Distribution spans the institutional website, Mediathek audio/video, social media channels, and open-access repositories.
The institute operates on a non-commercial model: funding derives from German federal and state government appropriations routed through the Max Planck Society, supplemented by external research grants (e.g., Thyssen Grant). All publications, databases, events, and digital resources are freely accessible with no pricing model. Its reach spans the global academic community in history of science, doctoral trainees via the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS), and the general public engaged through feature stories, public events, and media appearances.
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
- Legal name
- Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science e.V. (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V.)
- Website
- https://mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science is a Berlin-based, government-funded non-profit research institute within the Max Planck Society, studying the history of science across cultures and periods. It serves global scholars, doctoral students, and the public through open-access publications, digital databases, and educational resources.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Academic Research Services
- NAICS
- Libraries and Archives (51921), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE), Academic & Scientific Conferences (MPAGAGAD), Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK)
Keywords
Where Max Planck Institute for the History of Science is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Government Funding: The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science is part of the Max Planck Society, one of more than 80 research institutes administered by the Max Planck Society. Funding comes from German federal and state governments through the Max Planck Society.
- Research Grants: External research grants from various funding bodies including the Thyssen Grant awarded to Qiao Yang. Grants support specific research projects and collaborations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science is a non-profit research institute that conducts interdisciplinary historical research on scientific thinking and practice. It produces peer-reviewed open-access publications, specialized digital research databases (such as the Visualization and Material Culture of the Heavens Database and the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative), open-access publication platforms (Edition Open Access), and educational resources, distributed globally to academic scholars, doctoral students, and the broader public at no charge.
Product overview
The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science is a research institution that provides a portfolio of digital resources and publications. Its offerings include open-access educational resources (Teaching Animal Mobilities), specialized research databases (Visualization and Material Culture of the Heavens Database, Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative), publication platforms (Edition Open Access), and research project outputs. The institute is organized into departments (Knowledge Systems and Collective Life; Artifacts, Action, Knowledge) and research groups (ASTRA, China in Global System of Science, Premodern Sciences of Soul & Body, Centre for Biocultural Worlding) that produce these digital resources alongside traditional publications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Teaching Animal Mobilities: (How to) Move Animals into Your Classroom An open-access digital teaching resource offering classroom modules exploring animal mobilities in the history of science, based on Osiris volume 40 and additional contributors, designed for educators and students.
- The Global Grey Parrot A more-than-human history research project examining the worldwide history of the African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus and P. timneh), exploring cognition, affect, and environmental and economic dimensions across centuries.
- Visualization and Material Culture of the Heavens Database An image database containing depictions of celestial knowledge visualization across Eurasia and North Africa from ancient times to the early modern period, serving as a research tool for historians of science.
- Edition Open Access Open-access publication platform for the Max Planck Research Library for the History and Development of Knowledge, providing peer-reviewed scholarly works rapidly and at low cost to a broad audience.
- Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI) Collaborative digital cuneiform research library where Assyriologists, curators, and historians of science work together to make cuneiforms available online with adequate software tools for research purposes.
Companies that use Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Max Planck SocietycoreParent organization administering the institute. The Max Planck Society is a non-profit research facility organized as a registered association, with over 80 research institutes. All MPIWG institutes are largely autonomous in organization and research.
- NTU Singapore Centre for Biocultural Worlding (CBCW)flagshipMax Planck–NTU Singapore Centre for Biocultural Worlding is a collaborative research centre advancing research on biocultural diversity and worlding practices.
- International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS)coreJoint doctoral research school providing structured PhD training in collaboration with other institutions.
- University of Graz (Centre for Information Modelling)coreAcademic partnership where Sarah Lang served as Postdoctoral Fellow before joining MPIWG. Collaboration in Digital Humanities and Computational History research.
- H-NET, Clio-online, H-Soz-KultminorMedia partners for podcast distribution and scholarly communication, including interview collaborations with Sarah Lang on HSozKult.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wellcome Collection: A London-based free museum and library combining history of medicine, science, and public engagement with a strong digital collections platform. Comparable to MPIWG in mission to make history of science publicly accessible and in its mix of research, exhibitions, and digital archives.
- Deutsches Museum: One of the world's largest science and technology museums, based in Munich, combining collections, research, and exhibitions on the history of science. Comparable as a German institution with overlapping scholarly, archival, and public engagement missions.
- Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM), Imperial College London: An academic centre focused on history of science, technology, and medicine with research, teaching, and doctoral training programs. Comparable as a research and training hub in the same disciplinary niche.
- Science History Institute: A US-based organization dedicated to the history of chemistry, science, and technology, operating a library, museum, and digital collections. Directly comparable as a non-profit history of science institution with public-facing digital resources and fellowship programs.
- Royal Institution of Great Britain: A historic London-based scientific society dedicated to connecting science with the public through lectures, a museum, and digital content. Comparable as a long-standing organization promoting public engagement with the history and practice of science.
- Whipple Museum of the History of Science: A Cambridge University museum and research resource dedicated to the history of science, holding scientific instruments and supporting scholarship. Comparable as a university-affiliated center combining research collections, teaching, and public engagement in history of science.
- Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge: A leading academic department offering research and doctoral training in history and philosophy of science. Comparable as a peer hub for scholarly publishing, doctoral training, and international collaboration in the discipline.
Broad incumbents
- Max Planck Society: The parent organization administering MPIWG and more than 80 other research institutes. Comparable as the broader umbrella under which MPIWG operates and the source of its funding and governance framework.
- CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique): France's largest public research organization, operating numerous institutes across disciplines including humanities and history of science. Comparable as a European public-sector counterpart providing institutional funding for basic research.
Emerging players
- Bakken Museum: A Minneapolis-based museum and library focused on the history of electricity and its applications to medicine and science. Comparable as a smaller history-of-science institution combining collections, digital resources, and public programming.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science social profiles
Digital presenceMax Planck Institute for the History of Science financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Max Planck Institute for the History of Science M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
What does Max Planck Institute for the History of Science do?
The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science is a non-profit research institute that conducts interdisciplinary historical research on scientific thinking and practice. It produces peer-reviewed open-access publications, specialized digital research databases (such as the Visualization and Material Culture of the Heavens Database and the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative), open-access publication platforms (Edition Open Access), and educational resources, distributed globally to academic scholars, doctoral students, and the broader public at no charge.
Is Max Planck Institute for the History of Science a public or private company?
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Max Planck Institute for the History of Science founded?
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science was founded in 1994. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Max Planck Institute for the History of Science based?
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Max Planck Institute for the History of Science make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Government Funding is the primary driver. The others are research Grants.
Who are Max Planck Institute for the History of Science's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wellcome Collection, Deutsches Museum, Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM), Imperial College London, Science History Institute, Royal Institution of Great Britain, Whipple Museum of the History of Science and Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge. Broad incumbents are Max Planck Society and CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique). Bakken Museum is listed as an emerging player.
Does Max Planck Institute for the History of Science have an API?
No public API is recorded for Max Planck Institute for the History of Science.
What industry is Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in?
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science's product category is Academic Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJABAC, Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed), with a secondary code of EDAGAFAE, Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing. Its NAICS code is 51921 and its SIC code is 2741.