Institute News

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.

The workshop was first organized by Junior Researchers in 2018, and is aimed at Ph.D. students and Junior Postdocs worldwide. RISE offers them an opportunity to present their work, receive feedback from experienced researchers and connect with peers from other research institutions.

See the Program RISE8 (PDF).

More information on the workshop website RISE8 Workshop.

The Federal Chancellor’s Strategy Group for Technology and Innovation is the German government’s primary advisory body on technology and innovation policy. Appointed by the Federal Chancellor for the 21^st legislative period, it comprises members of the federal government and high-ranking representatives from science and industry.

The first meeting was also attended by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche, Federal Minister for Research Dorothee Bär, Federal Minister for Digital Transformation Karsten Wildberger, and Head of the Federal Chancellery Thorsten Frei on behalf of the government. The Federal Minister of Finance, as another permanent member, and the Federal Minister of Defence were each represented by a state secretary.

The Strategy Group focuses on new developments, findings, and trends in the innovation cycle and discusses specific proposals for strengthening the research and innovation system, resilience, and technological sovereignty. Its goal is to leverage the potential of scientific research and industry to boost the innovative strength and competitiveness of Germany as an industry location and to strengthen the country’s defence capabilities. Topics discussed at the inaugural meeting included strengthening innovation and competitiveness in the security and defence industry and in artificial intelligence.

The Key Topics of the First Meeting

The first meeting focused on two key topics that will determine Germany’s future viability:

• Artificial Intelligence as a key technology for productivity and value creation
• Security and Defence Industry and its importance for freedom, security, and technological sovereignty

First, the high pace of AI development worldwide and its potential for increasing productivity in science, industry, and public administration were addressed. The members of the strategy group agreed that the significance of this future technology should no longer be viewed exclusively in terms of value creation and prosperity in Germany, but must also be discussed in the context of current social and geopolitical challenges.

Second, innovation potential in the security and defence industry was examined. Against the backdrop of current initiatives by the German federal government, possibilities were discussed for further accelerating the procurement process, strengthening capacity building through innovation spaces and iterative approaches, and generating economies of scale in production.

Based on a benchmarking of the strengths and weaknesses of the innovation system in an international comparison, the strategy group defined its level of ambition at its inaugural meeting. The aim is to leverage transfer potential through powerful initiatives and a substantial improvement in the framework conditions along the entire innovation chain.

The Steering Committee and Its Members

The work content of the Federal Chancellor’s Strategy Group for Technology and Innovation is prepared by an administrative office based at acatech – the German Academy of Science and Engineering.

The following representatives from industry and science were appointed to the steering committee of the Federal Chancellor’s Strategy Group for Technology and Innovation:

• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Weber | acatech President – Chair of the Steering Committee
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka | President of the Fraunhofer Society
• Prof. Dietmar Harhoff, Ph.D. | Director at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition
• Dr. Jarosław Kutyłowski | Founder and CEO of DeepL SE
• Prof. Dr. Astrid Lambrecht | Chair of the Board of Directors of Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH in the Helmholtz Association
• Peter Leibinger | Chairman of the Supervisory Board TRUMPF; President BDI
• Prof. Dr. Özlem Türeci | Co-Founder and CMO of BioNTech SE
• Grazia Vittadini | CTO and Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG

The first panel, moderated by Marina Chugunova, who has been a Senior Research Fellow in the Institute’s economics department since 2018, addressed the relationship between innovation and new geopolitics. The second panel was hosted by Heiko Richter, who was a Senior Research Fellow in the Institute’s legal department until September of this year and took over the Chair of Private Law and Regulation of the Digital Economy and Society at the German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer in October 2025. Together with his guests, he examined questions of regulation between geopolitical challenges and deglobalization.

Panel “Innovation and New Geopolitics – Implications for Research“
 

• Prof. Fabian Gaessler (Pompeu Fabra University)
• Prof. Dr. Carolin Haeussler (University of Passau / Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation)
• Prof. Dr. Hanna Hottenrott (Technical University of Munich / TransforM Cluster of Excellence)
• Prof. Dr. Rupprecht Podszun (Monopolies Commission / Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf)
• Dr. Marina Chugunova (Moderator)

During the panel discussion, experts in economics, law, and science policy explored how geopolitical tensions are reshaping global research collaboration, talent mobility, and technological competition. The discussion drew on historical parallels, current regulatory debates, and the realities faced by universities, research institutions, and companies. A central theme was the research community’s growing responsibility of to engage actively with society and decision-makers in order to ensure that scientific insights are clearly and meaningfully communicated at a time when misinformation and political polarization increasingly challenge evidence-based policymaking.

The panelists emphasized that we are living through a period of major reorientation in research and innovation, characterized by shifts in global alliances, tighter controls on sensitive technologies, and new questions about the balance between openness and security. The experts debated whether innovation today is driven more by competition or cooperation as they discussed the role of Big Tech, the challenges of regulating technologies that evolve faster than legal frameworks, and the growing importance of dual-use research. The discussion underscored that resilience in a rapidly changing environment requires not only effective governance but also societal trust.

A clear takeaway emerged: Europe’s ability to remain open, credible, and strategically agile will determine its position in the global innovation landscape for years to come.

Panel “Regulation Between Global Challenges and Deglobalization”
 

• Prof. Dr. Michèle Finck (University of Tübingen)
• Prof. Dr. Henning Grosse Ruse-Khan (University of Cambridge)
• Dr. Malte Toetzke (Net Zero Lab / Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition)
• Prof. Dr. Peter Yu (Texas A&M University)
• Prof. Dr. Heiko Richter (Moderator)

The panel explored the evolving landscape of regulation at the intersection of global challenges and deglobalization pressures, guided by questions on how transnational issues like AI, climate change, intellectual property, and trade are addressed amid increasing national fragmentation. The discussants began by examining the EU’s role in digital and AI regulation, highlighting the Union’s shift toward a more assertive regulatory paradigm that still grapples with the tension between Member State interests and the need for global standards.

The conversation moved to the topic of climate change, where the transformative potential of AI in research and the uneven progress of international decarbonization efforts were discussed, emphasizing both the promise and limitations of current regulatory instruments. The focus then shifted to the regulatory philosophies of the U.S. and China, particularly in digital and IP domains, revealing divergent priorities and strategies shaped by economic and geopolitical competition. The panel concluded with a debate on the capacity and future relevance of multilateral institutions like the WTO in a more fragmented world, critically analyzing their limits and prospects for fostering global regulatory coherence.

The key insight emerging from the discussion was that effective regulation now requires navigating and mediating between global coordination needs and intensifying national retrenchment. Ultimately, the panel illustrated that regulation is increasingly positioned as a balancing act – not purely globalist nor strictly national, but as a flexible instrument that must adapt to shifting political, technological, and economic dynamics.

In their welcoming addresses, Patrick Cramer, President of the Max Planck Society, and leading representatives from science, politics, and society addressed around 120 guests in welcoming speeches, emphasizing the importance of the Institute’s research, and the opportunities to create impulses in the new environment. It became clear that, in light of current societal developments, research is not only a driving force for innovation and progress, but it must also be anchored deeper in the heart of society than ever before.

Prof. Dr. Patrick Cramer, President of the Max Planck Society

“The Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition is at the cutting edge of our times with its mission. It researches the legal and economic foundations of innovation, competition, and regulation. At a time when Germany must reinvent itself amid digital transformation, bureaucratic inflexibility, and geopolitical tensions, this research — especially this research — is indispensable. It is research that first poses the questions before providing the answers through which the Institute offers guidance for the societal and political process — a process we can never replace, only accompany. The relocation sends a clear signal: science — and particularly such important research as is conducted here, which also touches on the future of our economic system — belongs at the heart of the city, at the heart of society.”

Dr. Johannes Eberle, Bavarian State Ministry for Science and the Arts, Head of the department Research/Science System

“The Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition embodies everything a science minister, an economics minister, or a federal minister could wish for: it delivers outstanding research that does not remain confined to the so-called ivory tower, but reaches and impacts society as a whole — and has done so for almost 60 years. Since its founding in 1966, the Institute has been a key source of inspiration for the major issues of our time. […] Yet, an institute devoted to innovation and competition does not, of course, live primarily on its past achievements, but on its creative energy for the present and the future. Here, too, it is evident that the Institute has its finger on the pulse of the times, contributing more than ever to addressing the key questions of our society. It makes valuable contributions to the great transformations of our century, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence — especially with regard to the major challenges of data and copyright law. Moreover, it provides highly relevant research on how innovation and government incentives can help stimulate a stagnating economy.”

Dominik Krause, First Deputy Mayor of the City of Munich

“The Max Planck Institutes are a fundamental part of the innovation ecosystem we have here in Munich — and this is especially true for the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition. I would also like to congratulate you on your excellent choice of the Herzog Max building. You and your colleagues are doing outstanding work — now in a location that could not be more central, and one that sets an example for the future of Munich’s city center. Congratulations on your relocation — also on behalf of the City of Munich. We are truly delighted to have you here, in the very heart of our city.”

Panel  “Inform, Advise, Shape – Innovation Research and Policy”

The event centered on a panel discussion entitled “Inform, Advise, Shape – Innovation Research and Policy”, featuring notable figures. Journalist and moderator Dr. Jan-Martin Wiarda spoke with leading experts about key issues at the interface between science and policy. The panel guests Prof. Dr. Irene Bertschek (Chair of the Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation), Rafael Laguna de la Vera (Director of the Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovations SPRIND), and Prof. Dr. Rupprecht Podszun (Member of the Monopolies Commission) discussed, among other things, the role that innovation research can play in policy advice and where its limits lie, how social values can be reconciled with economic interests, how major challenges of our time can be addressed, and which new dangers might arise at the same time.

Perspectives of the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition

In the follow-up conversation to the discussion “Informing, Advising, Shaping – Innovation Research and Policy”, Josef Drexl and Dietmar Harhoff spoke with Jan-Martin Wiarda about the perspectives for the future of the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition. Key impulses included the further promotion of interdisciplinary collaboration – extending beyond law and economics to additional disciplines, such as computer science – in order to better understand innovation, markets, and their regulatory frameworks. Law is viewed as an enabler of innovation, while mutual learning and exchange, for example through networking with companies, as well as the continuous observation of technological and societal developments, remain essential approaches for future research.

The program also included guided tours of the landmark building at Karlstor, which also houses the Institute’s renowned library. Its collection currently comprises more than 245,000 volumes, is unique worldwide in its international orientation and completeness, and attracts academics from around the world.

The new HERZOG MAX

While many German city centers are struggling with vacancies and dwindling interest, the building known as “Herzog Max” is a forward-looking project that sets standards for the transformation of city centers. This was highlighted in a panel discussion between architect Thomas Fechtner (OSA Ochs Schmidhuber Architekten) and owner representative Günter Koller (Wilhelm von Finck Hauptverwaltung GmbH) in conversation with the Institute’s managing director, Prof. Dr. Josef Drexl, and moderator Dr. Jan-Martin Wiarda. The remarkable redevelopment demonstrates how urban centers can reinvent themselves. The Institute also intends to use its new location as an opportunity to offer the urban society a “showcase to science” and to help the public better understand the significance of complex scientific topics.

The second day of the Grand Opening featured a Scientific Symposium on Innovation Research in Disruptive Times. 

Legal Framework for Genetic Resources

Genetic resources—such as genes from plants, animals, and microorganisms—play a central role in innovation in biotechnological fields, but access to them is often regulated and subject to requirements for consent from the country of origin and benefit sharing. Although international law—in particular the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol—is intended to ensure compliance with these rules by foreign users, benefit sharing has so far been largely absent. This leads to conflicts, including controversial patent law measures by some countries of origin, which can go as far as denying patent protection.

In his dissertation, The Right to Genetic Resources – Nagoya Protocol, Patent Law, and Other Regulatory Options, Pedro Henrique D. Batista uses a precise methodological analysis to develop concrete regulatory options at the national and international level that enable effective protection of genetic resources without unduly hindering biotechnological innovation. He also considers alternative instruments outside patent law and current international developments such as the new WIPO treaty and the debates on digital sequence information.

Batista's findings provide impetus for international and national regulation of genetic resources. They create a basis for fair participation, promote legal certainty, and combine the protection of biodiversity with the requirements of research and industry.

GRUR Dissertation Award

The GRUR Dissertation Award is presented annually at the annual conference of the German Association for Intellectual Property Law (GRUR). It recognizes outstanding dissertations in four different categories, namely (i) Patent and Utility Model Law, (ii) Copyright and Media Law, (iii) Trademark, Competition, and Design Law, and (iv) Data and Information Law. Batista received the award in the first category.

Faculty Prize of the LMU in Munich

The Faculty of Law at LMU in Munich awards its faculty prize annually to particularly outstanding dissertations. With this award, the faculty recognizes the scientific excellence and social contribution of Batista's work.

The Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition sincerely congratulates Pedro Henrique D. Batista on these two awards.

Pedro Henrique D. Batista
Das Recht an genetischen Ressourcen – Nagoya-Protokoll, Patentrecht und weitere regulatorische Optionen 
GWR - Schriftenreihe zum gewerblichen Rechtsschutz

The Chair’s research focuses on private law and digitalization law (including data and platform regulation) as well as regulatory and legal theory at the intersection of state, market, and society.
 

Heiko Richter worked at the Institute as a Doctoral Researcher and Junior Research Fellow in the Intellectual Property and Competition Law Department from 2014 to 2020. His dissertation, supervised by Heike Schweitzer at Humboldt University in Berlin, is entitled “Information as Infrastructure.” It was awarded the 2020 Humboldt Prize. Since 2020, Heiko Richter has been a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute in the department headed by Josef Drexl and a lecturer in private law at Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich. He remains closely associated with the Institute as an Affiliated Research Fellow.

Liza Herrmanns’s research focuses on whether bots should be considered a competitive threat and how they should be regulated by lawmakers.

Thanks to the Max Planck Foundation and its sponsors, Max Planck scientists can apply for a writing scholarship at this beautifully located site almost directly on the lake. And where better to write a scientific paper such as a dissertation than at the “Grundner,” where the quantum physicist and Nobel Prize winner spent his holidays every year from 1885 to 1943?

With a little luck, scholarship holders may also meet Gabriele Taylor, Max Planck's great-granddaughter, who lives in the attic of the former farmhouse on Lake Tegernsee and rents the lower rooms to the foundation. The house, which has no immediate neighbors, belongs to the municipality of Bad Wiessee and is suitable for peaceful scientific work in any season: located about 50 km south of Munich, it offers enough space for up to three scholarship holders at a time, with a total of 150 square meters, three workrooms, three bedrooms, common rooms, a terrace, and a kitchen.

Information about the writing scholarship is available at the webseite of the Max Planck Foundation.