(1) MPI of Biochemistry, Martinsried. The research focus of the institute might best be described as the examination of the structure, function and interaction of biological macromolecules (especially proteins), commencing with a single molecule, progressing to the cell and the organism as a whole.

(2) MPI of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main. The departments are devoted to the challenging task of determining the structure of membrane proteins and study the function of these proteins in native or reconstituted membranes.

(3) MPI for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen. The unifying vision of the institute has been to characterize biological processes in a quantitative manner, as was already reflected in the focus of several of the founding departments on reaction mechanisms and dynamics.

(4) MPI for Brain Research, Frankfurt/Main. Research at the Institute addresses the principles of the organization of the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) at many different levels of analysis, ranging from molecular to behavioural studies.

(5) MPI of Molecular Biomedicine, Münster. The institute works on the field of leukocyte migration into inflammatory sites and germline development and pluripotency.

(6) MPI for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen. The institute works in the elucidation of cognitive processes.

(7) MPI of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden. The institute merges molecular cell biology with developmental biology.

(8) MPI for Developmental Biology, Tübingen. The main topics of the institute focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying spatial information within the embryo, communication between cells in the induction process, as well as the formation and differentiation of tissues and organs.

(9) MPI for Chemical Ecology, Jena. The institute examines the role of chemical signals that mediate the interactions between plants, animals and their environment, as well as the evolutionary and behavioural consequences of these interactions.

(10) MP Research Unit for Enzymology of Protein Folding, Halle/Saale. Research in the institute focuses on the principles of conformational changes controlling the biological activity of peptides and proteins.

(11) MPI for Evolutionary Biology, Plön. The goal of the institute is to understand ecological processes and adaptation as a result of natural selection.

(12) The Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tübingen. Research interests include developmental biology, neurobiology, cell biology and the computational analysis of biological phenomena.

(13) MPI for Molecular Genetics, Berlin. Research at the institute concentrates on genome analysis of man and other organisms to contribute to a global understanding of many of the biological processes in the organism, and to elucidate the mechanism behind many human diseases.

(14) MPI for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim. The cardiac orientation of the institute is strengthened. In the near future, additional departments will become active focussing on lung and vascular development, remodelling and signalling.

(15) MPI of Immunobiology, Freiburg. The research of the institute should help to unravel the mechanisms by which the immune system and other biological structures are generated and function.

(16) MPI for Infection Biology, Berlin. The Institute employs multidisciplinary approaches to infection biology, comprising concepts and methodologies of molecular genetics, immunology, cell biology, epidemiology, clinical research and protein chemistry.

(17) MPI for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen. Research activities of the institute cover a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from basic molecular analyses of neuronal processes to clinical studies on novel therapies of neurological and psychiatric disorders in patients.

(18) MPI for Marine Microbiology, Bremen. The researchers at the institute cover a broad range of disciplines and areas of expertise, from microsensors to microbiology, from geochemistry to genome analysis and from molecular ecology to mathematical modelling.

(19) MPI for Medical Research, Heidelberg. One of the future activities of the institute will be to investigate nerve cells and their connections in the cerebral cortex that are responsible for the reception and processing of signals from the sense organs, i.e. smell, sight and taste, with the use of molecular genetic, physiological and imaging techniques.

(20) MP Research Unit for Structural Molecular Biology at DESY, Hamburg. The goal of the Max Planck Society Research Units at DESY is to combine biological structural analysis and synchrotron radiation technology.

(21) MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg. The institute focuses on the microbial ecology of terrestrial habitats (soil), with emphasis in the areas of biogeochemistry, biochemistry, ecophysiology and organismic interactions.

(22) MPI of Neurobiology, Martinsried. The institute is devoted to experimental research on the development, functions and diseases of the nervous system.

(23) MPI for Neurological Research, Köln. Researchers at this institute focus on the neurological and oncological basic research.

(24) MPI for Ornithology, Seewiesen. Scientists at the institute not only study the neural basis for learning abilities and memory both in the motor and sensory areas, they are also trying to discover what role hormones play in the gender-specific differentiation of the brain area.

(25) MPI of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam. By combining traditional biological approaches with techniques relevant to functional genomics, scientists at the institute are forming a holistic view of structure, function, dynamics and regulation of entire plant genomes, proteomes and metabolomes.

(26) MPI of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund. The primary focus of the institute is basic research, seeking to discover how the complex building blocks of life work together – the genes as carriers of genetic information and the proteins as signal transmitters and structural materials in the cells.

(27) MPI of Psychiatry, München. The institute focuses on the study of psychiatric and neurological disorders and on the development of diagnosis and treatment.

(28) MPI for Plant Breeding Research, Köln. The institute conducts basic molecular biological research on plants with the goal of developing more efficient breeding techniques and environmentally sound plant protection strategies for industrial crops.

(29) MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig. The aim of the institute is to investigate the history of humankind from an interdisciplinary perspective with the help of comparative analyses of genes, cultures, cognitive abilities, languages and social systems of past and present human populations as well as those of primates closely related to human beings.

(30) MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig. The Studies of the institute look into the perception of language, music, actions (and their outcome), the planning and generation of language and activity and the interaction between, and common functional principles of, generation and perception in various cognitive fields.

(31) MPI for Human Development, Berlin. The institute is a multidisciplinary research institute dedicated to the study of human development and education, and their evolutionary, social, historical and institutional contexts.