Institute

The Max Planck Institute for Brain Research is a fundamental research and scientific training institution focused on understanding the brain. The human brain is a formidably complex machine, composed of about one hundred billion neurons and trillions of connections, or synapses between them. Out of such a system, as if magically, arise perception, behavior and thought. The brain is often described as the "most complex machine in the known universe". more

The year 2014 marked the one-hundred-year anniversairy of the Max-Planck-Institute for Brain Research as an autonomous research institution devoted to research on the brain. Officially started in 1914 as Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Hirnforschung (KWIH) with the creation of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Society (KWS) for the Advancement of Science (itself created in 1911), it became a Max Planck Institutewhen the Max Planck Society replaced the KWS after WW II. more

The Max Planck Institute for Brain Research is located on the Riedberg Campus in Frankfurt am Main. The design for this state-of-the-art research complex consists of two elongated and compact buildings, with long axes running approximately north to south, and short axes at an angle, aligned with the slant of the plot. more

The scientific work of the Institute is evaluated every two years by an international panel of independent experts, forming the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). more

The Board of Trustees at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research forms an important interface supporting the exchange between scientists and the general public. The trustees are important members of the German public life, representing the media, economy, politics and science. more

The Max Planck Institute for Brain Research is one of about 80 research institutes of the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science e.V. (MPG). The MPG is an independent, non-profit research organization which seeks to promote basic research in the service of the general public. It is financed through public funds from the federal and state governments. more

Minerva Bistro (located in the building of the MPI for Brain Research) offers a weekly seasonal menu of innovative, high-quality, healthy and attractively priced cuisine. You can find the bistro’s entrance in the foyer of the MPI building at Max-von-Laue-Str. 4 and on sunny days you can eat on the terrace and enjoy the garden. more