Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry

What Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry does

The Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry (Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie) is a nonprofit basic-research institute operating under the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V. (Max Planck Society), Germany's largest umbrella scientific organization. Located on the Life-Science-Campus Martinsried near Munich, the institute is one of the largest biology- and medicine-oriented institutes within the Max Planck Society, with approximately 680 staff across nine research departments and roughly 20 research groups, including about 350 scientists from 43 countries. Its scientific mission is the study of protein structure and function, ranging from individual molecules to complex organisms, spanning biochemistry, cell biology, structural biology, biophysics, and molecular science. Research is organized around director-led departments (notable directors include Matthias Mann in proteomics, F.-Ulrich Hartl in chaperone-mediated protein folding, Brenda Schulman in structural cell biology, and Petra Schwille in biophysics) and is supported by state-of-the-art core facilities: next-generation sequencing (NovaSeq 6000, AVITI, NextSeq 500, Oxford Nanopore platforms), cryo-electron microscopy (Titan Krios G2, Titan Halo, Talos Arctica, Glacios), fluorescence and super-resolution imaging with flow cytometry, automated protein crystallization (~6,500 experiments per year for 26 groups), and a joint transgenic mouse-model facility shared with MPI for Biological Intelligence.

The institute does not operate as a commercial enterprise. Its revenue model is public-research funding: institutional baseline support is provided through German federal and state (Länder) appropriations allocated to the Max Planck Society, which is then distributed to its ~80 institutes. This baseline is supplemented by competitive third-party grants from European programs (ERC Advanced Grants, ERC Synergy Grants, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Horizon Europe infrastructure projects such as the €9.6M IMAGINE imaging consortium coordinated with EMBL), the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), and other national and international funders. The institute has no commercial pricing model; intellectual property arising from research is commercialized non-exclusively through Max Planck Innovation GmbH, the society-wide technology-transfer office. Outputs are disseminated via peer-reviewed publications, conferences, public-outreach programs such as MaxLab (a student/visitor laboratory), and the "Was Wissen Schafft" public lecture series. The "customers" in a functional sense are the global academic research community that consumes the institute's publications, collaborates through core facilities, and recruits from its training pipeline (PhD, postdoctoral, vocational training, and independent junior group leader programs).

Name

Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry

Legal name

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V.

Website

https://biochem.mpg.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry is a nonprofit basic-research institute under the Max Planck Society, employing ~680 staff (including ~350 scientists from 43 countries) in Martinsried near Munich to study protein structure and function across biochemistry, cell biology, structural biology, and biophysics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Basic biomedical research

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Basic biomedical research
• Protein structure research
• Structural biology services
• Cryo-electron microscopy
• Academic research institute

Headquarters

HQ city

Martinsried

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: As a Max Planck Institute, the institute is primarily funded through public German federal and state government funding via the Max Planck Society (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft). Additional funding comes from research grants from EU Horizon programs, DFG (German Research Foundation), and other third-party funding sources.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry is a publicly funded nonprofit research institute that conducts fundamental research on the structure and function of proteins, from individual molecules to complex organisms. It operates nine research departments and approximately twenty research groups across biochemistry, cell biology, structural biology, biophysics and molecular science, and provides access to specialized research core facilities (NGS sequencing, cryo-EM, imaging, crystallization, transgenic services, mass spectrometry) to scientists on the Martinsried campus.

Product overview

The Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry is a research institution offering specialized core facility services rather than commercial products. The institute operates nine research departments focused on biochemistry, cell biology, structural biology, biophysics, and molecular science. Core services include the NGS Core Facility (sequencing), Cryo-EM Facility (electron microscopy), Imaging Facility (fluorescence microscopy), Crystallization Facility (protein crystallization), Immunization Service, Transgenic Core Facility (mouse models), and the Library. MaxLab provides educational outreach for students. The institute does not offer commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MaxLab: Student and visitor laboratory of the Max Planck Institutes in Martinsried offering practical courses for school students in biology and biomedical research.

Products and services

• NGS Core Facility Next Generation Sequencing facility providing DNA and RNA sequencing services including RNA-Seq, DNA-Seq, ChIP-Seq, and single-cell applications using NovaSeq 6000, AVITI, NextSeq 500, Oxford Nanopore MinION, PromethION, and 10x Genomics platforms, available to researchers on the Martinsried campus.
• Cryo-EM Facility Transmission electron microscopy facility providing cryo-electron microscopy access, training, and support from sample preparation to data processing, equipped with Titan Halo, Talos Arctica, Glacios, and Titan Krios G2 microscopes for structural biology research.
• Imaging Facility Fluorescence microscopy facility offering observation and analysis of live or fixed organisms and cells, including widefield, confocal, super-resolution microscopy, high-content screening, and flow cytometry with cell sorting capabilities.
• Crystallization Facility Structural biology facility providing automated protein crystallization services including quality control, initial screenings, automated visualization, in-situ diffraction testing, and condition optimization, performing approximately 6,500 crystallization experiments per year for about 26 research groups.
• Transgenic Core Facility Joint facility with the MPI for Biological Intelligence providing generation and maintenance of transgenic mouse models using pronuclear injection, blastocyst injection, embryonic stem cell technology and cryopreservation techniques in SPF animal housing.
• Immunization Service Animal facility service providing immunization procedures for rabbits, goats, chickens, mice, and rats, including all injection and blood sampling procedures performed by institute staff to support antibody generation for research groups.
• Martinsried Joint Scientific Library Joint library for the Martinsried Max Planck Institutes offering approximately 20,000 specialist books, electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loan, and publication repository (MPG.PuRe) services to researchers.
• MaxLab Student and Visitor Laboratory Educational outreach laboratory offering hands-on scientific courses for school students reflecting current research projects of the institute, designed to expose school-aged children to biomedical and biological research practice.
• International Office Relocation Support Service providing information and extensive support for new and prospective foreign scientists, including visa assistance, housing search, language courses, family support, and cultural integration in Germany.
• Grants Office Internal service supporting researchers at the institute and the MPI for Biological Intelligence in obtaining third-party funding, from project ideation through to project completion, administering applications, awards, and reporting for ERC, DFG, Horizon Europe and other competitive grants.

Quantifiable outcome

• World-leading institute in protein research as part of the Max Planck Society

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (MPI-BI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighboring institute on the Life-Science-Campus Martinsried. Joint facilities including Transgenic Core Facility, shared services, and collaborative research. The institutes share campus infrastructure and collaborate on various research initiatives.
• Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in immediate neighborhood on the Life-Science-Campus Martinsried. LMU's Biozentrum, Fakultät für Chemie und Pharmazie, Biomedizinisches Centrum (BMC), Genzentrum, and Klinikum Großhadern collaborate with MPI-B on research and share campus facilities.
• HelmholtzZentrum München (Hämatologikum)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNearby research facility with complementary research focus in hematology. Part of the immediate campus neighborhood network of life science institutions.
• Innovations- und Gründerzentrum Biotechnologie (IZB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation and startup center adjacent to the institute, supporting biotech company formation and collaboration with the research institute.
• Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V. (MPG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization providing institutional framework, funding, and governance. MPG operates over 80 research institutes in Germany and internationally. Services include Max Planck Innovation (technology transfer), pme Familienservice (family services), Minerva-FemmeNet (mentoring), and various support services.
• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinator of the IMAGINE project (HORIZON-INFRA-2022-TECH-01), developing next-generation imaging technologies. Project budget of €9.6M with 19 partners focusing on X-ray imaging, cryo-EM, super-resolution microscopy, and AI-powered image analysis.
• Various European Universities and Research InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple ERC and Horizon Europe projects involving European partners including Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, LMU München, TU Eindhoven, University of Warwick, CRG Spain, and others. Collaborative research in proteomics, synthetic biology, structural biology, and molecular biology.

Scale indicators5 records

Direct peers

• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL): Pan-European intergovernmental research organization with sites across Europe conducting molecular biology, structural biology, and imaging research. Directly comparable as a peer basic-research institution and existing collaboration partner (IMAGINE project coordinator).
• Karolinska Institutet: Sweden's largest medical university and biomedical research institution with strong programs in cell biology, structural biology, and disease mechanism research. Comparable as a publicly funded European biomedical research powerhouse.
• The Francis Crick Institute: UK biomedical research institute in London with ~1,500 scientists. Comparable as a leading European basic-research institute with similar structural biology, cell biology, and molecular biology programs.
• Institut Pasteur: French nonprofit research institute focused on microbiology, immunology, and molecular biology. Comparable as a long-established European basic-research institute with similar funding model (government + competitive grants) and structural biology programs.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI): US-based biomedical research organization supporting ~300 investigators across leading universities. Comparable in scale, mission, and investigator-driven basic-research model, though structured as an HHMI investigator network rather than a single campus.
• Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard: US-based biomedical and genomic research institute affiliated with MIT and Harvard. Directly comparable in scale, scientific mission (genomics, proteomics, structural biology), and core facility model — competing for the same elite talent and grant pools.
• Wellcome Sanger Institute: UK-based genomic and molecular biology research institute funded by Wellcome Trust. Comparable scale, mission, and operating model as a nonprofit basic-research powerhouse running advanced genomic and proteomic facilities.
• Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG): Sister Max Planck research institute in Dresden focused on molecular cell biology, genetics, and biophysics. Comparable as a basic-research institute with similar scale, talent model, and core facility strategy within the same Max Planck Society framework.
• MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB): UK Medical Research Council institute in Cambridge, world-leading in structural biology, molecular biology, and cell biology. Highly comparable scientific focus, particularly in protein structure and cryo-EM/structural biology — a direct competitor for talent and grants.

Regional players

• Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU): German Helmholtz Association research center in Munich focused on environmental health, diabetes, and lung research. Comparable as a German publicly funded research institute in the same Munich geography and listed as a campus neighbor of MPI for Biochemistry.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mpi_biochem
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MaxPlanckSociety
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/max-planck-institute-of-biochemistry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry