Max Planck Centers (MPCs) are collaborative research initiatives between the Max Planck Society in Germany and leading research institutions abroad. These centers serve as hubs of excellence, bringing together top scientists from different countries to work on cutting-edge scientific questions across various disciplines. Each center is formed through a partnership between one or more Max Planck Institutes and international institutions.
Recently, surprising new connections have emerged between particle physics, cosmology, and geometry, hinting at radical new ways of conceptualizing the physics of particle scattering and the initial conditions of the Big Bang. By uniting these three disciplines, researchers hope to gain new insights into the Universe that would otherwise be inaccessible from the perspective of each field alone.
Johannes Henn of the Max Planck Institute for Physics (MPP) an one of the three co-directors of the Center said:
“By uniting the expertise and scientific potential of its three founding partners under a single umbrella, the Center forms a global hub for excellence and knowledge transfer in theoretical physics. It enables collaborative research across institutional and disciplinary boundaries, fostering synergies that span from novel mathematical frameworks relevant to quantum field theory to interactions of elementary particles and to the physics of the early universe.”
Engaging world-class researchers, postdoctoral scholars, and students, the Center will also include scholars with expertise in observational cosmology and astrophysics to complement its theoretical efforts. The Center is committed to excellence and to identifying and recruiting talent wherever it is found. Key activities will include focused workshops, international conferences, summer schools, and collaborative visits, fostering a dynamic exchange of ideas across disciplines and geographic boundaries.
The Center will begin operations in July 2025, with five years of initial funding. The management is shared by three co-directors, one from each of the participating partner organisations. An opening symposium at NTU will take place from 1. - 3. September 2025 and a kick-off conference at IAS is planned for 16. - 20. March 2026.
About the Partner Institutions
The Max Planck Society (MPG) is Germany’s leading research organization, internationally renowned for its excellence in basic research. The Max Planck Institute for Physics (MPP), established in 1917 with Albert Einstein as its first director, stands out for its contributions to fundamental physics.
The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is a leading center for theoretical research and discovery dedicated to advancing the frontiers of knowledge across the sciences and humanities. Each year, 250 of the world’s most promising post-doctoral researchers and scholars are welcomed as Members to a campus dedicated to collaboration, excellence, and independent inquiry.
Founded in 1928, National Taiwan University (NTU) is the most prestigious university in Taiwan. It consists of 11 colleges, 56 departments, 133 graduate institutes and 60 research centers. In 2007, the university created the Leung Center for Cosmology and Particle Astrophysics (LeCosPA) which will be hosting the MPC. Funded by a generous donation of Chee-Chun Leung (President of Quanta Computer), LeCosPA is home to faculty, postdocs and students in a wide range of areas of cosmology and astroparticle physics.
Further Reading
- Max Planck Institute for Physics (16.06.2025): New Max Planck Center for Particle Physics, Cosmology and Geometry
