International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course

What International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course does

The International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course — now branded as the International Max Planck Research School on Learning, Institutions, and Future Evolution (LIFE) — is a joint international doctoral fellowship program established in 2003 and operated under Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V. (MPG), a German non-profit registered association. The program offers PhD fellowships studying the development of human behavior from infancy to old age through an integrative, interdisciplinary lens spanning psychology, educational science, neuroscience, and biology, with explicit attention to dynamics across multiple time scales — from individual education processes and lifespan development to the long-term evolution of culture and emergence of institutions. The program is delivered across four LIFE sites in Berlin (headquarters at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development), Ann Arbor (University of Michigan), Charlottesville (University of Virginia), and Zurich (University of Zurich), supported by a faculty network of over 100 researchers drawn from seven institutional partners.

The core deliverable is a structured doctoral training program comprising curriculum, faculty supervision, and cross-site exchange, rather than a commercial product. The revenue model is non-commercial: fellowships and program operations are funded primarily through the Max Planck Society (itself funded by German federal and state governments) and the seven partner institutions. Recruitment is event-driven, with fellowship announcements occurring in October/November followed by a centralized admissions process through which doctoral candidates are matched with research groups at one of the four sites. Leadership consists of named LIFE Speakers and Associate Co-Speakers at each site (including Ulman Lindenberger, Patricia Reuter-Lorenz, Angeline Lillard, Moritz Daum, Alexandra M. Freund, Clemens Tesch-Römer, Adriene Beltz, and Xin (Cynthia) Tong), a Program Manager (Dr. Imke Kruse), and a Coordinator (Silke Schäfer), with administration housed in Berlin. In 2025, the program received permanent status from the Max Planck Society, cementing its long-term institutional footing.

Name

International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course

Legal name

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

Website

https://imprs-life.mpg.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course, now branded LIFE (Learning, Institutions, and Future Evolution), is a publicly funded joint international PhD program operated by the Max Planck Society with seven partner universities across Germany, the United States, and Switzerland. It trains doctoral fellows in interdisciplinary research on human behavioral development across the lifespan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Göttingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Doctoral Fellowship Funding: The program provides doctoral fellowships funded through the Max Planck Society and its partner institutions. The Max Planck Society (MPG) is a German non-profit research organization funded primarily by German federal and state governments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

IMPRS LIFE is a joint international PhD program that recruits and trains doctoral researchers through funded fellowships to study the development of human behavior from infancy to old age, integrating psychology, educational science, neuroscience, and biology. The program coordinates supervised research across four LIFE sites (Berlin, Michigan, Virginia, Zurich) and a network of over 100 faculty members drawn from seven partner institutions. Successful candidates receive funded doctoral fellowships and complete interdisciplinary research dissertations under multi-institutional supervision.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LIFE Program (IMPRS on Learning, Institutions, and Future Evolution) A joint international PhD program offered by the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, the University of Michigan, the University of Virginia, and the University of Zurich. Funded doctoral fellowships are awarded to candidates who conduct interdisciplinary research on the development of human behavior from infancy to old age, integrating psychology, educational science, neuroscience, and biology.

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

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Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Max Planck Institute for Human DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary institutional partner hosting the program's headquarters and main administration. Provides research infrastructure and faculty supervision for doctoral fellows.
• Freie Universität BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman partner university contributing faculty and research supervision. Clemens Tesch-Römer serves as Associate Co-Speaker from this institution.
• Humboldt-Universität zu BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university contributing faculty members to the LIFE program research network.
• Technische Universität BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university contributing faculty and research supervision to doctoral fellows.
• University of MichigancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner institution in the United States. Patricia Reuter-Lorenz serves as a LIFE Speaker. Hosts LIFE Site Michigan for doctoral research.
• University of VirginiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner institution in the United States. Angeline Lillard and Xin (Cynthia) Tong serve as LIFE Speakers. Hosts LIFE Site Virginia for doctoral research.
• University of ZurichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner institution in Switzerland. Moritz Daum and Alexandra M. Freund serve as LIFE Speakers representing this site. Hosts LIFE Site Zurich for doctoral research.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Berlin School of Integrative Oncology: A Berlin-based joint graduate school under Charité and partner institutions, providing structured doctoral training in oncology research. Comparable in its joint program structure, central administration model, and international doctoral training approach to IMPRS LIFE.
• International Max Planck Research School for the Mechanisms of Mental Health and Dementia: A fellow IMPRS under the Max Planck Society umbrella with the same joint PhD training model and partnership structure as IMPRS LIFE, focused on mental health and dementia research — adjacent to IMPRS LIFE's lifespan psychology focus.
• International Max Planck Research School for Molecular Life Sciences (IMPRS-LM): A fellow IMPRS jointly run by Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry and partner universities in Munich. Operates with the same Max Planck Society funding model and joint international PhD training structure as IMPRS LIFE, differing primarily in its focus on molecular rather than lifespan research.
• Berlin School of Mind and Brain: A Berlin-based joint graduate school operated by Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Charité, focused on interdisciplinary research in cognitive neuroscience, philosophy of mind, and psychology. Shares the institutional partnership model and interdisciplinary research focus of IMPRS LIFE.
• International Max Planck Research School for Cognitive, Brain & Behaviour (IMPRS-CBB): A fellow International Max Planck Research School jointly run by the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and partner universities. Operates under the same Max Planck Society funding model, joint program structure, and interdisciplinary cognitive/behavioral research focus as IMPRS LIFE.

Broad incumbents

• DFG Research Training Groups (Graduiertenkollegs / GRK): German Research Foundation-funded structured doctoral training programs at German universities with similar graduate training objectives and cohort-based research training model as IMPRS LIFE, though funded by a different public body and distributed across university hosts.
• International Research Training Groups (IRTG): DFG-funded international joint doctoral training programs pairing German universities with international partners. Share the joint international multi-site structure and doctoral training mission of IMPRS LIFE, though covering broader scientific fields and operating under DFG rather than Max Planck Society funding.
• Helmholtz Graduate Schools: Doctoral training programs operated by Helmholtz Association research centers across Germany. Comparable structured doctoral training approach with cohort-based interdisciplinary research, though with different institutional affiliation and Helmholtz-focused research domains.
• Leibniz Graduate Schools: Doctoral training programs operated by Leibniz Association research institutes across Germany. Comparable structured cohort-based doctoral training model to IMPRS LIFE, though affiliated with the Leibniz Association rather than the Max Planck Society.
• Max Planck Schools: A broader Max Planck Society initiative providing structured doctoral training across multiple Max Planck Institutes and German partner universities. Operates in the same institutional ecosystem as IMPRS LIFE but as a larger umbrella initiative with broader disciplinary coverage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/max-planck-institute-for-biophysical-chemistry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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