IMPRS for Brain & Behavior

What IMPRS for Brain & Behavior does

IMPRS for Brain & Behavior is a fully-funded international PhD program in neuroethology, established in 2018 and operated by the Max Planck Society in Bonn, Germany. The program is conducted jointly at the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior (MPINB), the University of Bonn, and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), training early-career researchers in how neural circuits generate behavior. Core activities include coursework, research rotations, thesis projects, and a Master Fellowship track that serves as a feeder pipeline into the PhD program. The program supports approximately 49 PhD students across multiple cohorts, with a coordination office of around 14 staff.

The program does not generate commercial revenue; it is funded through the Max Planck Society, the University of Bonn, and DZNE. As an academic training program, its "products" are trained scientists, published research, and computational tools for behavioral analysis, including deep learning approaches to behavioral data. The business model is grant-based and institutional, with no pricing model or customer-facing revenue mechanics. Its strategic position is anchored by the Max Planck brand, the multi-institutional partnership, and its ability to attract globally competitive neuroscience talent.

For a PE/VC/M&A audience, IMPRS is not a commercial investment target. It is best understood as a capability-building node within the European neuroscience ecosystem — a training pipeline that produces skilled researchers and methodological advances (including ML-based behavioral analysis) that flow into academic and industry roles. Any commercial relevance is indirect: through the talent and methods it generates, not through revenue capture.

Name

IMPRS for Brain & Behavior

Legal name

International Max Planck Research School for Brain & Behavior

Website

https://imprs-brain-behavior.mpg.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IMPRS for Brain & Behavior is a fully-funded international PhD program in neuroethology, jointly operated by the Max Planck Society, University of Bonn, and DZNE in Bonn, Germany, training early-career researchers in neural circuit mechanisms of behavior.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Graduate Research Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Lab-Based Short-Term Programs (Undergraduate/Graduate) (EDAIAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA)

Keywords

• PhD neuroscience program
• Neuroethology training
• Doctoral fellowship program
• Graduate research education
• Neuroscience research training

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: Fully-funded PhD program supported by Max Planck Society, University of Bonn, and DZNE. Provides competitive salary (~2000 EUR monthly net) for doctoral researchers, corresponding to approx. 65% of TVÖD Bund remuneration group 13.
2. Master Fellowship Program: Monthly stipend of €992 for selected 1st year MSc students at University of Bonn for duration of Master's studies (max 1.5 years until thesis project start).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Brain & Behavior is a fully-funded 4-year PhD program in Bonn, Germany that offers competitive world-class PhD training and research in neuroethology and neuroscience. It is a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar (MPINB), the University of Bonn, and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE). The program supplements the doctoral training with a Master Fellowship Program (€992 monthly stipend) for 1st-year MSc students at the University of Bonn, along with structured curriculum components including a Neuroscience Boot Camp, Reading Club, Lab Rotations, Thesis Advisory Committee, Annual Retreat, and the Bonn Brain³ Conference.

Product overview

IMPRS for Brain & Behavior is a fully-funded 4-year PhD program in neuroethology and neuroscience, delivered as a unified educational platform in collaboration with MPINB, University of Bonn, and DZNE. The program centers on the PhD training program supplemented by the Master Fellowship Program for MSc students. Core curriculum components include the Neuroscience Boot Camp, Reading Club, Lab Rotations, Thesis Advisory Committee, Annual PhD Student Retreat, and the International Bonn Brain³ Conference, all structured around theoretical and practical hands-on training elements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IMPRS PhD Program in Neuroethology and Neuroscience A fully-funded 4-year doctoral program in Bonn, Germany offering world-class PhD training and research in neuroethology, the study of neural basis of animal behavior. The program is a collaboration between MPINB, University of Bonn, and DZNE, providing competitive salary (~€2,000/month net), Thesis Advisory Committee mentorship, lab rotations, and conference travel grants.
• Master Fellowship Program A monthly stipend program (€992) for excellent 1st-year MSc students admitted to neuroscience, biology, computer science, mathematics or related fields at University of Bonn, providing mentorship by IMPRS faculty while exploring neuroethology. The fellowship runs for the duration of the Master's studies (max 1.5 years until thesis project start).
• Neuroscience Boot Camp Intensive week-long immersive training at the end of the first year covering intracellular electrophysiology, fluorescence microscopy, basic programming, and behavioral imaging techniques. Designed as a hands-on skills component of the PhD curriculum.
• Lab Rotations 8-week optional lab rotations in up to three labs (max 6 months total) for admitted students to explore research environments before choosing a thesis supervisor.
• International Bonn Brain³ Conference Annual neuroscience conference gathering the Bonn neuroscience community (University of Bonn, caesar, DZNE) with international researchers for collaboration and discussion, supporting recruitment and visibility.
• Complementary Skills Courses Optional courses in research ethics, scientific writing, grant writing, presentation skills, recruiting, intellectual property, biotech start-ups, and career development, offered as part of the doctoral training curriculum.

Quantifiable outcome

• 49 PhD students from 18 countries enrolled since 2018
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar (MPINB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Primary host institution for IMPRS program. Kevin Briggman serves as IMPRS Speaker and Managing Scientific Director. MPINB provides research groups, facilities, and supervision for PhD students.
• University of BonncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Degree-granting institution with Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and Faculty of Medicine. Provides academic framework, PhD regulations, and research groups including IEECR, LIMES Institute, and Physiology department.
• German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Research partner providing research groups (Krabbe, Gründemann, Bradke labs) and facilities. DZNE contributes to multidisciplinary neuroscience research environment in Bonn.
• RWTH Aachen UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Additional institution with research group Gaia Tavosanis (LIMES Institute) contributing to IMPRS. Hosts PhD student Chi Wai Chan (cohort 2018) and Pallavi Syam (cohort 2024).
• LIFE & BRAINminorOthers · 1 January 2018Research center for applied biomedicine mentioned as part of Bonn science region. Contributes to the neuroscience research ecosystem alongside MPINB and DZNE.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MRC Doctoral Training Partnerships (Cambridge Neuroscience): University of Cambridge MRC-funded PhD programme in neuroscience with multi-department faculty, fully-funded 4-year studentships, and a strong systems/behavioral orientation. Comparable in size, structure, and selective international recruitment to IMPRS.
• Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit (UCL): A leading interdisciplinary PhD training program in theoretical/computational neuroscience at UCL, combining experimental and computational approaches. Highly comparable to IMPRS for Brain & Behavior in mission, structure (small, selective, funded PhD cohort), and methodological emphasis on linking neural circuits to behavior/models.
• Champalimaud Neuroscience PhD Programme: Fully-funded international PhD program in neuroscience at the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon, emphasizing systems and behavioral neuroscience with a strong cross-species focus. Comparable to IMPRS in selective international recruitment, English-language training, and integration of theoretical/computational and experimental approaches.
• EPFL Doctoral Program in Neuroscience (EDNE): EPFL's structured international PhD program in neuroscience with strong computational/systems focus. Comparable to IMPRS in being a European, fully-funded, English-language doctoral program with emphasis on linking neural mechanisms to behavior.
• Wellcome PhD Programmes in Neuroscience: Wellcome Trust funds multiple UK doctoral training programmes in neuroscience (e.g., at UCL, Cambridge, Edinburgh, KCL). Comparable in mission — fully-funded, research-intensive neuroscience PhDs with international recruitment and structured training curricula.
• Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory School of Biological Sciences: PhD program at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory focused on neuroscience and quantitative biology. Comparable in offering fully-funded, small-cohort, research-intensive doctoral training with cross-disciplinary computational and experimental emphasis.
• Max Planck IMPRS for Brain Dynamics and Computation: Sister IMPRS program focused on theoretical and computational neuroscience across multiple Max Planck Institutes. Comparable as a Max Planck Society-funded PhD program with international cohorts, computational/experimental mix, and multi-institutional faculty.
• Max Planck IMPRS for Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences: Sister IMPRS program in Munich combining LMU and Max Planck Institutes. Directly comparable as a Max Planck Society-funded international PhD training school in the life sciences with multi-institutional faculty and fully-funded stipends.

Broad incumbents

• MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences PhD Program: Top-tier US PhD program combining neuroscience, cognitive science, and computational approaches. Comparable in integrating experimental and computational methods to study brain and behavior, though materially larger and broader than IMPRS.
• Harvard Program in Neuroscience (PiN): Larger, more established US-based PhD program in neuroscience spanning Harvard Medical School affiliates. Comparable in training graduate students in systems, cellular, and behavioral neuroscience, though significantly larger and broader in scope than IMPRS.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IMPRSBrainBehav
• Facebookfacebook.com/IMPRSBrainBehavior
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imprs-for-brain-and-behavior
• Instagraminstagram.com/imprs.brain.behavior

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IMPRS for Brain & Behavior