Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy

What Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy does

The Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (MPI-SP) is a non-profit fundamental research institute founded in May 2019 in Bochum, Germany, operating under the Max Planck Society. Its mission is to design, build, and analyze security and privacy technologies across foundations, systems, and societal impact. The institute organizes its work across five focus areas covering post-quantum cryptography, secure infrastructure, responsible system building, human-centered privacy-enhancing technologies, and privacy in machine-learning applications, supported by eight named research groups led by faculty including Peter Schwabe, Thorsten Holz, Carmela Troncoso, Asia J. Biega, Jana Hofmann, Clara Schneidewind, and Yixin Zou. Core technical contributions include co-authorship of three NIST-standardized post-quantum cryptographic algorithms (ML-KEM/Kyber, ML-DSA/Dilithium, and SLH-DSA/SPHINCS+), the open-source Cryptolib embedded cryptography library, and reference designs distributed through the Pavona open silicon ecosystem at TSMC 3nm, alongside formal security engineering methods, privacy-enhancing cryptographic primitives (secure multiparty computation, homomorphic encryption, private set intersection), and AI-assisted vulnerability analysis (e.g., 271 vulnerabilities uncovered in Firefox).

The institute does not sell products or services. Revenue mechanics are entirely institutional: core funding flows from the Max Planck Society (which itself draws on German federal and state government appropriations), supplemented by competitive external research grants from the European Research Council (ERC Starting and Consolidator Grants), the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Heinz Nixdorf Foundation, and industry partners including Google and Meta. All research outputs are released openly via publications, open-source software, and reference designs, and the institute trains doctoral researchers through the joint IMPRS program with Ruhr University Bochum, the CS@max planck doctoral program, and a Guest Program for visiting researchers. Customer-facing activity is limited to academic, governmental, and industrial collaborators; there are no paying end customers, pricing models, or commercial GTM channels.

Name

Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy

Legal name

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

Website

https://mpi-sp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy is a non-profit research institute in Bochum, Germany, conducting fundamental research in post-quantum cryptography, privacy-enhancing technologies, and secure systems, funded by the Max Planck Society and external research grants, and serving the academic and policy community through open publication.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Cybersecurity Research

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Responsible AI, Security & Privacy Platforms (Safety, Guardrails, PII) (HDAEANAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data Access Governance & Entitlement Management (DSPM / CIEM-for-Data) (HDADAFAG), MPC / HSM / Key Management Infrastructure (FSADACAC)

Keywords

• Security and privacy research
• Post-quantum cryptography
• Privacy enhancing technologies
• Cryptographic engineering research
• Fundamental cybersecurity research

Headquarters

HQ city

Bochum

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. Government Research Funding: Funded by the Max Planck Society (MPG), which receives government funding from German federal and state governments for fundamental research in security and privacy technologies
2. External Research Grants: Competitive research grants from organizations including European Research Council (ERC), German Research Foundation (DFG), and industry partners such as Google and Meta

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (MPI-SP) is a non-profit fundamental research institute founded in May 2019. Its mission is to design, build, and analyze security and privacy technologies spanning foundations, systems, and societal impact. The institute produces open research outputs, contributes to global cryptographic standards, and offers structured doctoral and postdoctoral research training programs.

Product overview

The Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy is a research institute founded in May 2019, not a commercial product company. Its primary offerings are academic and research programs, including the International Max Planck Research School for Privacy Enhancing Technologies for the Digital Society (IMPRS) - a joint doctoral program with Ruhr University Bochum, the Guest Program for visiting researchers, and participation in the CS@Max Planck Doctoral Program. The institute focuses on fundamental research in security and privacy technologies rather than commercial product development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IMPRS (International Max Planck Research School for Privacy Enhancing Technologies for the Digital Society): Joint doctoral program between MPI-SP and Ruhr University Bochum focusing on privacy-enhancing technologies research and education.
• SPRING Lab
• Human-Centered Security and Privacy Group
• Cryptographic Engineering Group
• System Security Group
• Formal Security Engineering Group
• Responsible Computing Group
• Heinz Nixdorf Research Group for Cryptocurrencies and Smart Contracts

Products and services

• International Max Planck Research School for Privacy Enhancing Technologies for the Digital Society (IMPRS) A joint doctoral program between MPI-SP and Ruhr University Bochum focused on privacy-enhancing technologies, covering cryptographic foundations, network infrastructure redesign, responsible data use frameworks, and machine learning privacy.
• Guest Program Fellowship program offering orientation fellowships for university graduates (up to 6 months) and postdoctoral fellowships (up to 2 years) for visiting junior scientists to conduct research at MPI-SP.
• CS@Max Planck Doctoral Program A highly selective doctoral program providing full financial support for students to pursue research in computer and information science with faculty at Max Planck Institutes and German universities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6-9x speedups for ML-KEM and ML-DSA algorithms on embedded silicon
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fraunhofer AISECcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Collaboration achieving 6-9x performance improvements for ML-KEM and ML-DSA algorithms on embedded silicon, alongside 36-75% increases in maximum operating frequency. Addresses vulnerability gaps in specialized hardware for post-quantum cryptography.
• Pavona (GlobalPlatform)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 May 2026MPI-SP joined Pavona, an open-source silicon ecosystem hosted by GlobalPlatform, as a founding member to accelerate integration of quantum-resistant encryption into specialized hardware. The initiative delivers production-grade post-quantum cryptography IP components and reference designs fabricated at TSMC 3nm.
• ZeroRISCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Multi-year collaboration delivering full open-source release of production-grade cryptographic hardware and software stack for classical and post-quantum operations. The co-designed solution pairs Cryptolib embedded cryptography library with open-source silicon platform featuring a programmable Asymmetric Cryptography Coprocessor.
• Academia SinicacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Joint research with ZeroRISC and MPI-SP developing production-grade post-quantum cryptography for open silicon, achieving significant performance improvements for ML-KEM and ML-DSA algorithms.
• Ruhr University Bochum (RUB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative forming the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Privacy Enhancing Technologies for the Digital Society. Combines world-class research environments across both institutions.
• Radboud UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeter Schwabe holds a joint appointment as professor at Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, enabling cross-institutional research collaboration.
• Cluster of Excellence CASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAsia Biega serves as principal investigator of CASA (Cyber Security in the Age of Large-Scale Adversaries), an interdisciplinary research consortium.
• FINDHR ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterdisciplinary and intersectoral consortium on responsible computing where Asia Biega serves as principal investigator.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SRI International: US-based nonprofit research institute with active computer science and cybersecurity programs. Comparable as a large nonprofit research organization that combines fundamental research with applied security work for government and industry.
• Inria: French national research institute with strong security and cryptography teams (e.g., Cascade, Privatics). Comparable as a publicly funded European computer science research organization with similar postdoctoral and doctoral pipelines.
• IBM Research Security: Industrial research lab with significant cryptography and security research output including post-quantum contributions. Comparable as a research-driven security organization publishing at top venues, though operating within a commercial parent.

Direct peers

• CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security: German national research center for information security located in Saarbrücken. Directly comparable as a publicly funded security and privacy research institute with similar research group structures, doctoral training programs, and focus on cryptography, systems, and privacy.
• Max Planck Institute for Informatics: Sister Max Planck Institute focused on computer science research. Comparable as a peer Max Planck CS institute with overlapping cryptography, systems, and algorithms research, and shared CS@Max Planck doctoral program.
• ETH Zurich (Computer Science, Information Security): Leading European university research group in information security and cryptography. Comparable as a top-tier European academic security research operation with strong post-quantum cryptography and privacy research.
• Cluster of Excellence CASA: German Research Foundation-funded excellence cluster at Ruhr University Bochum focused on cyber security in the age of large-scale adversaries. Directly comparable as a co-located security research consortium with overlapping principal investigators.
• Fraunhofer AISEC: German applied research institute focused on cybersecurity, cryptography, and embedded security. Directly comparable given their active collaboration with MPI-SP on post-quantum cryptography implementations and shared funding model.

Others

• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Computer Security Division: US federal agency that standardized the post-quantum cryptography algorithms MPI-SP contributed to. Comparable as the standards-body counterpart and key collaborator in shaping PQC global standards.

Regional players

• IMDEA Software Institute: Madrid-based research institute focused on software security, cryptography, and privacy. Comparable as a publicly funded European security research lab with similar research group structure and doctoral training programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/max-planck-institute-for-security-and-privacy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Security and Privacy