Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung

What Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung does

The Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung (MPI Kohlenforschung) is a publicly funded, nonprofit basic research institute founded in 1912 as the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Kohlenforschung and operating under its current name within the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (MPG) since 1939. It is the oldest scientific research institution in the Ruhr area and one of 84 institutes in MPG, Germany's premier basic research organization. The institute is structured as an independent legally capable foundation (rechtsfähige Stiftung) under private law, headquartered at Lembkestraße 5, Mülheim an der Ruhr, with approximately 206 employees plus ~30 apprentices in training.

MPI Kohlenforschung's mission is the development of energy- and resource-efficient chemical conversions through fundamental catalysis research. Its research portfolio spans seven specialized departments: Organic Synthesis (Prof. Tobias Ritter), Homogeneous Catalysis (Prof. Benjamin List, 2021 Nobel laureate for asymmetric organocatalysis), Heterogeneous Catalysis (Prof. Ferdi Schüth), Organometallic Chemistry (Prof. Alois Fürstner), Molecular Theory and Spectroscopy (Prof. Frank Neese), Biocatalysis (emeritus), and Sustainable Catalysis (Dr. Josep Cornellà, appointed 2025). Supporting these are service departments for IT, library, chemical crystallography and electron microscopy, mass spectrometry, chromatography, NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and technical laboratories. The institute also develops and maintains the ORCA quantum chemistry software package, used worldwide for electronic structure calculations.

The institute generates no commercial product revenue; its operating model rests on three streams: (1) institutional funding from the German federal and state governments routed through the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, (2) third-party competitive grants from the DFG, ERC, Volkswagen Foundation, and similar bodies, and (3) technology transfer and licensing, exemplified by the Minerva Carbon spin-off in battery technology and carbon materials for energy storage. Outputs are disseminated through peer-reviewed publications in leading scientific journals, conferences (including the Ziegler Lectures and Ernst Haage Prize symposium), collaborative research agreements with pharmaceutical, chemical, and materials science companies, and educational programs including vocational apprenticeships and school outreach in the Ruhr region.

Name

Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung

Legal name

Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung

Website

https://kofo.mpg.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung is a publicly funded German basic research institute focused on fundamental catalysis science across organic synthesis, homogeneous, heterogeneous, organometallic, and sustainable catalysis, plus the ORCA quantum chemistry software; it serves the global scientific community and chemical industry through publications, collaborations, and technology transfer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fundamental Chemistry Research

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Chemicals & Allied Products (2800), Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Chemical Synthesis Catalysts (Hydrogenation/Oxidation/Acid-Base) (IMAEAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Petrochemical & Polymerization Catalysts (IMAEAIAB), Precious Metals & Catalyst Materials (PGM Catalysts) (IMAEAIAN), Chiral / Asymmetric Synthesis & Complex Chemistry Services (HLAGAHAE), Bio-based Solvents & Process Chemicals (e.g., bio-acetone, bio-butanol, bio-IPA, green solvents) (EUAAAIAB)

Keywords

• Catalysis research
• Quantum chemistry software
• Analytical chemistry services
• Organic synthesis research
• Sustainable chemistry research

Headquarters

HQ city

Mülheim an der Ruhr

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding via Max-Planck-Gesellschaft: Core funding from German federal and state governments through the Max Planck Society system, supporting basic research activities and institutional operations.
2. Third-Party Research Funding: Research grants from German Research Foundation (DFG), European Research Council (ERC), Volkswagen Foundation, and other public funding bodies for specific research projects.
3. Technology Transfer and Licensing: Spin-off companies and technology transfer activities, exemplified by Minerva Carbon receiving €1.8 million in EXIST Transfer of Research funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The institute conducts fundamental research and development of new, tailor-made catalysts for efficient and sustainable chemical transformations, covering homogeneous catalysis, heterogeneous catalysis, organometallic chemistry, biocatalysis, sustainable catalysis, and molecular theory and spectroscopy. It also provides specialized analytical services through dedicated departments (NMR, mass spectrometry, electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, chromatography), maintains the ORCA quantum chemistry software platform, and offers vocational training programs in chemistry and physics laboratory techniques.

Product overview

The Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung is a nonprofit research institute focused on fundamental catalysis research. Its offerings include cutting-edge research across multiple catalysis domains (organic synthesis, homogeneous/heterogeneous catalysis, organometallic chemistry, molecular theory, biocatalysis, sustainable catalysis), analytical service departments (electron microscopy, mass spectrometry, chromatography, NMR, X-ray diffraction), the ORCA quantum chemistry software, and educational programs including apprenticeships and school outreach. The institute serves the scientific research community through published findings, analytical services, and the training of future scientists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Minerva Carbon: Startup focused on battery technology and carbon materials for energy storage, spun off from the institute
• Minerva Carbon

Products and services

• ORCA Quantum Chemistry Software A comprehensive quantum chemistry program developed and maintained by the institute for computational chemistry calculations and molecular simulations, providing researchers worldwide with tools for electronic structure calculations.
• Catalysis Research Services The institute conducts fundamental research in catalysis across multiple domains including organic synthesis, homogeneous catalysis, heterogeneous catalysis, organometallic chemistry, molecular theory and spectroscopy, biocatalysis, and sustainable catalysis, providing analytical and research services to the scientific community and industry partners.
• Analytical Service Departments Service divisions providing specialized analytical capabilities including IT, library, chemical crystallography and electron microscopy, mass spectrometry, chromatography, X-ray diffraction and spectroscopy, and NMR spectroscopy to research staff and external partners.
• Apprenticeship and Training Programs Vocational training programs offering apprenticeships in chemical laboratory technician, physics laboratory assistant, industrial mechanic (precision and equipment engineering), and office management clerk positions, conducted in cooperation with Berufskolleg Stadtmitte for approximately 30 apprentices per cohort.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nobel Prize 2021 awarded to Prof. Benjamin List for asymmetric organocatalysis
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stanford SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis: Joint Stanford/SLAC catalysis center focused on sustainable catalysis and computational catalyst design — directly comparable research agenda in heterogeneous and electro-catalysis.
• Scripps Research Institute: Top-tier US chemistry research institute with deep expertise in catalysis, organic synthesis, and chemical biology — a global peer for high-impact publications and talent.
• Max-Planck-Institut für Chemische Energiekonversion (MPI CEC): Sister Max Planck institute also located in Mülheim an der Ruhr, co-hosts the Ernst Haage Prize with MPI Kohlenforschung, and focuses on chemical energy conversion and catalysis — direct peer in scale, geography, and scientific agenda.
• Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft: Max Planck institute in Berlin focused on surface chemistry and catalysis, including the Chemical Physics of Solids and Interface Science departments — a direct peer in catalysis and molecular-level chemical research.
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Chemical Sciences Division: US Department of Energy national laboratory with major catalysis research programs, including Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis — directly comparable in catalysis and energy-related chemistry.
• California Institute of Technology (Caltech) — Chemistry and Chemical Engineering: Leading US research institution with strong catalysis, organometallic chemistry, and synthetic chemistry groups that compete for top talent and citations alongside MPI Kohlenforschung.
• ETH Zurich — Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences: Premier European chemistry department with major groups in catalysis, organometallic chemistry, and sustainable chemistry — directly comparable in research scope and prestige.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) — Department of Chemistry: World-leading chemistry department with prominent catalysis, organic synthesis, and computational chemistry groups that publish at the same level as MPI Kohlenforschung's departments.

Broad incumbents

• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT): Large German research and teaching institution with significant chemistry and catalysis programs; broader portfolio than MPI Kohlenforschung but overlapping research areas and a comparable talent pool.
• BASF SE: World's largest chemical company and a frequent industrial partner of MPI Kohlenforschung for technology transfer and catalyst development — broader commercial peer that consumes and commercialises similar catalysis science.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZuZ4PJhVOSQKKlpG7iyKHA
• Facebookfacebook.com/mpiKofo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/max-planck-institut-f%C3%BCr-kohlenforschung
• Instagraminstagram.com/mpi_kofo

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung