The Max Planck Society assembles for its Annual Meeting in Frankfurt am Main
Highlights will included the presentation of the Max Planck Startup Award of the Stifterverband and the plenary assembly featuring an expert dialogue on the future of democracy
The Max Planck Society (MPG) is represented by its institutes at 38 locations across Germany. The Annual Meeting brings its various governing bodies together, while also serving as a forum for the MPG to meet with representatives from politics, business, and society, with a different federal state hosting the event each year. This year's event in Frankfurt am Main is marked by two key highlights: the presentation of the Max Planck Startup Award of the Stifterverband on Tuesday, 16 June 2026, which Federal Research Minister Dorothee Bär is expected to attend, and plenary assembly on Wednesday, 17 June 2026. The assembly will feature a discussion on the future of democracy between Hedwig Richter, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich, and Steffen Mau, Director at the Max Planck Institute Social Sciences in Göttingen. The Hessian Minister-President, Boris Rhein, has also announced his attendance at the plenary assembly.
Technology transfer: Max Planck Startup Award of the Stifterverband
Although the core mission of the MPG is basic research, it actively promotes spin-offs from its institutes. This is achieved through various programmes as well as its technology transfer subsidiary, Max Planck Innovation, which identifies startups emerging from the institutes and provides them with advice and support along the way. The Max Planck Startup Award of the Stifterverband is another vital element in boosting technology transfer.
The €30,000 prize, which is awarded biennially at the Annual Meeting, goes this year to Ovo Labs GmbH. Founded just last year in 2025, the company aims to significantly improve success rates in assisted reproduction. The active ingredients in its EmbryoProtect 1, 2, and 3 products are designed to help women remain fertile for longer, thereby increasing the chances of a successful pregnancy.
The future of democracy: expert discussion at the plenary assembly
Democracy in crisis and the rise of autocracies is not merely a perception, but a fact backed up by figures. According to The Economist's Democracy Index, only 45 per cent of the world's population currently live in a democracy; in the latest survey from 2025, just 25 per cent of all countries were classified as "full democracies". Germany is also seeing an increasing shift among citizens towards right-wing extremist or right-wing populist parties.
During the expert dialogue, Hedwig Richter, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich, and Steffen Mau, Director at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in Göttingen, will discuss the historical and current causes of this development, as well as potential ways forward.
Max Planck in Hesse
Seven Max Planck Institutes, including the Ernst Strüngmann Institute, as well as one research unit, are located in Hesse, employing around 1,650 members of staff. Of these, roughly 700 employees hold a foreign passport (43 per cent), while women account for approximately 55 per cent of the workforce (as of 31 December 2025).
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main
- Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main
- Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt am Main
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg
- Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory, Frankfurt am Main
- Max Planck Research Unit for Neurogenetics, Frankfurt am Main
- Ernst Strüngmann Institute of the Max Planck Society, Frankfurt am Main