It had been announced for a long time - now it is official: At the Max Planck Society's Annual General Meeting in Göttingen, the previous MPG President, the electrochemist and materials scientist Martin Stratmann, symbolically handed over the reins to his successor Patrick Cramer. Cramer paid tribute to Stratmann's achievements and, in his inaugural address, outlined the three major fields of action he sees for a sustainable Max Planck Society.
In his inaugural address in Göttigen, Patrick Cramer answered the question of how the Max Planck Society should continue after 75 successful years. The new president named three fields of action that are central to him: Attracting and promoting people, renewing processes and strategies, and assuming social responsibility.
In this YouTube video, Patrick Cramer talks about the future areas of action for his term (in German).
Attracting and promoting people
Excellent research needs room for creativity - at all career levels. Cramer is particularly concerned about young researchers. "To attract talent, he would like to propose an interdisciplinary postdoc program in addition to the doctoral programs. In view of the discussions about the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz, a legal framework that creates flexibility and enables science careers would be necessary. By fostering people, Cramer also stresses the importance of recognizing and embracing diversity: "It’s important for me to affirm that ALL individuals who share our values are welcome."
Renewing processes and strategies
Cramer's focus here is on the further development of the Max Planck Society's international strategy under difficult conditions, such as the consequences of Brexit, restricted scientific freedom in parts of Eastern Europe, or ideological currents in the USA and China. It is important to win new partners in Asia, Africa and Latin America and to meet them at eye level, without a Eurocentric view, Cramer said. For Max Planck to remain competitive in the global marketplace, however, development strategies are also needed for sites, administrations and centers. Larger units in the science-support sector should promote the attractiveness, scientific autonomy and thematic development of the institutes.
Assuming social responsibility
Cramer sees high ethical standards for research, which should also be as environmentally compatible as possible. On the other hand, it is important to publish the results achieved in a freely accessible manner and to identify the opportunities and risks arising from research. In addition, it would like to develop a sustainability concept to make the MPG climate-neutral by 2035 at the latest. The voice of science is to be audibly introduced into social discourse and the transfer of knowledge and technologies facilitated.
Handover after successful years in turbulent times
Cramer takes over the post in turbulent times from Martin Stratmann, who has led the renowned research organization for the past nine years. In scientific terms, they were successful years, during which six Nobel Prizes went to Max Planck scientists - five of them in the last three consecutive years. Startmann's central concerns were improving the framework conditions for young scientists and networking at national and international level to strengthen science in Eastern and Central Europe and for Africa, together with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. With Cyber Valley, he created a center for AI research that is visible throughout Europe, and with the founding of the MPI for Security and Privacy, he helped to further expand the research field of computer sciences in the Max Planck Society.
Attractors for young international researchers
With the Max Planck Schools, Stratmann developed a pilot project to bundle "distributed excellence" in Germany and make it visible. This also gave rise to new innovative approaches such as Lab Rotations, which enable young researchers to try out different stations before making a final decision on a dissertation project.
The Agency for Leap Innovations also stemmed from a suggestion by Stratmann, who also wants to use MAX Entrepreneur to promote a new startup culture in the Max Planck Society.