People  |  12/01/2025

Call for Nominations: Directors (f/m/d)

The Max Planck Society is planning to appoint three new Directors to the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Innovation and Competition in Munich. Together, they will define the future direction of innovation and competition studies within the Society. To identify suitable candidates for these positions, the Society is inviting nominations, including self-nominations. We seek scholars that will pioneer high-impact research programs and lead corresponding departments. The appointees’ research should offer a transformative perspective on innovation and competition, ideally bridging law and economics or other pertinent fields. Central to this role is the contribution of intellectual leadership to the Institute’s ongoing re-orientation, helping to chart its future scientific course.

Blue poster with white text: 'Call for Nominations and Self-Nominations Directors (f/m/d)' and Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition logo.

The MPI for Innovation and Competition has a distinguished reputation for its transdisciplinary analysis of innovation and competition. Its research program uniquely integrates law and economics to examine how rules and competition incentivize progress in an era of rapid social, economic, and technological change.  


The Institute is located in Munich, Germany, and has close ties with other leading research institutions, including the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich and the Technical University of Munich. It is part of the Max Planck Society, an independent non-governmental association dedicated to fundamental research in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and humanities. 


The Max Planck Society, an equal opportunities employer, is firmly committed to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of recruitment and employment. The Max Planck Society especially aims at increasing the number of women as Directors at its Institutes and at eliminating discrimination on the basis of gender. We therefore welcome nominations of individuals from groups that are otherwise underrepresented in leadership positions in the Max Planck Society and its Institutes. We particularly encourage nominations of women. In case of equal qualification, women will receive preferential consideration, unless legally relevant interests based on the personal circumstances of the latter prevail.


Nominations, including self-nominations, should be sent to: nominations(at)ip.mpg.de.


A nomination should include:
 

  • the candidate’s name and current affiliation;
  • a brief motivational statement (200 words max.) specifying the reasons for nomination.

Note that this call is part of the Institute’s scouting procedure; its purpose is to inform the Institute about possible candidates. A formal appointment procedure will follow. As a result of this call, a selection of (self-)nominated candidates may be invited for a visit to the Institute.


All nominations will be treated in the strictest confidence.


This call will remain open until midnight (CET) on 15 January 2026.


Call for Nominations and Self-Nominations of Directors (f/m/d) as PDF.