The Max Planck Society, Germany's leading basic science research institution, is focusing on Korea as a strategic research partner. It cited shared commitments to democracy and academic freedom, as well as a roster of world-class researchers.
On the 13th (local time), officials of the Max Planck Society met with a joint reporting team from the Korea Science Journalists Association at the headquarters in Munich, Germany, and said, "The environment for international joint research is becoming increasingly challenging," adding, "We will strengthen cooperation with countries that share common values, such as Korea."
The Max Planck Society is Germany's representative basic science research institution, with about 27,000 researchers active across 84 institutes nationwide. Its annual budget reaches about €2.4 billion (about 4 trillion won). In the 2020s, the Max Planck Society has produced six Nobel laureates, bringing the total to 28.
The society assessed that, unlike the United States, where research environments are shaken by cuts to science and technology budgets, and China, where cooperation is becoming more difficult, Korea is a partner that shares a common foundation of academic freedom, democracy, and excellent research talent.
Alexander Jost, who oversees international cooperation at the Max Planck Society, said, "Germany and Korea take similar positions on strategic issues in the international community and share core values such as democracy," adding, "In the 1990s and 2000s, these elements were not seen as important in research cooperation, but the situation has changed now."
Jost said, "Academic freedom is being constrained in many countries, but that is not the case in Korea," adding, "The fact that top-tier researchers are active in various fields is also a reason we seek to expand cooperation."
Last year, the Max Planck Society hosted 259 visiting researchers from Korea and ran 38 joint research projects. It also operates five Max Planck Partner Groups in Korea, which provide up to €100,000 (about 170 million won) when a postdoctoral researcher from the society becomes a principal investigator at a home-country university. Two Max Planck Centers are operating at Yonsei University and Pohang University of Science and Technology POSTECH.
The emphasis on international cooperation stems from a philosophy centered on "excellence," which means selecting the best researchers. Christina Beck, head of communications at the Max Planck Society, said, "Exchanges with overseas researchers are important because diverse perspectives are necessary for new ideas to emerge."
Of the society's leaders, 43.1% of institute directors, 46.6% of group leaders, and 78.5% of postdoctoral researchers are from overseas. Last year, Cha Mi-young, head of the Institute for Security and Privacy, became the first Korean to be appointed a Max Planck institute director.
This level of internationalism aligns with the society's principle of "recruiting people, not programs." The Max Planck Society guarantees long-term, stable funding and autonomy to outstanding researchers and allows researchers to set their own topics.
Beck said, "Time and trust are essential to achieve real breakthroughs in basic science," adding, "If you demand results within four to five years, it is difficult to produce Nobel-level research." She added, "If the top recruitment candidate does not come, we do not pick the second choice; we instead search again for an entirely different research field."
At the same time, in line with founder Max Planck's philosophy that "insight must precede application," the Max Planck Society prioritizes basic science while actively promoting technology commercialization through a dedicated unit.
Founded in 1970, Max Planck Innovation handles patents and technology transfer from its affiliated institutes so researchers can focus on research. To date, it has managed more than 5,000 inventions, supported over 3,000 technology transfer agreements, and helped launch more than 210 startups.
As a flagship case, the fusion startup Proxima Fusion recently raised €400 million (about 680.8 billion won) from investors including Google, bringing its cumulative funding to €650 million (about 1.1 trillion won). Technology transfer revenue is split one-third each among the inventor, the institute, and the society. Cumulative technology transfer revenue stands at about €570 million (about 970 billion won).
Christoph Huel, managing director of Max Planck Innovation, said, "We set a record last year by establishing 14 startups," adding, "Within the next five years, we plan to increase annual launches to 20 to 25." He added, "If you calculate that one startup emerges per €50 million (about 85.1 billion won) in government research funding, it is a fully achievable goal given the overall budget."