Research Management & Planning
Head: Imke Kruse
The Research Management and Planning (RMP) unit (formerly called Scientific Service) offers a wide range of services to all researchers at the Institute. In order to continuously develop their services in line with changing needs, the RMP team members maintain close contact with all researchers at the Institute. In 2025, the team developed the mission shown in Box 1.
Team Profile: Research Management and Planning (RMP)
Our vision is a science that has all the freedom it needs to conduct excellent research. Our motivation is to create this freedom. We are constantly working on strategic issues that affect the future-oriented, programmatic direction of the Institute.
Our work contributes to an inclusive, cooperative work culture. Our team supports long-standing and new colleagues and research groups, strengthening their integration and enabling them to reach their full potential. With our expertise, we facilitate the effective use of third-party funding and ensure that international scientists can begin working in Germany with legal certainty. We provide research infrastructures, offer guidance on non-academic issues, and accompany our target groups throughout their entire work cycle at the Institute. In addition, we provide career guidance and promote the qualification of young scientists.
Our team works responsibly, reliably, and in a solution-oriented manner.
We connect people and ideas—both within and outside the Institute—through exchange, networking, and collaboration.
One of RMP's central tasks continues to be the management of third-party funds. These funds are of great importance for the Institute's research. During the reporting period, a total of around 11 million € of third-party funds were spent on research. At the same time, researchers at the Institute newly acquired about 10.4 million € in third-party funds. Given the importance of third-party funds for the Institute's research, the Third-Party Funds Officer, Claudia Vinent, supports the Institute's staff in the application, administration, and accounting of third-party funds. She advises the Institute's researchers on potential national and international third-party funding lines and offers individual consulting and active assistance throughout the whole third-party funding life cycle. In addition, the Third-Party Funds Officer coordinates with third-party funders, checks the project budgets of the Institute's third-party funds, prepares budget plans and allocations, and monitors project costs and compliance with contractual terms and conditions. She prepares data for reports, statistics, and analyses. Where necessary, she also coordinates with the Max Planck Society's Administrative Headquarters. Towards the end of a project, she provides advice on the reporting and documentation obligations and takes care of audit documents and cooperation with reviewers.
One area that underwent significant expansion and further professionalization during the reporting period is the International Office. The International Office supports international colleagues from all research centers, groups, as well as the service units in all non-academic matters. Given the increased international competition in research, facilitating the relocation and onboarding of international colleagues is highly important. The International Office helps researchers to prepare for their stay, guides them through the necessary formalities before and after arrival, and offers practical information about life in Berlin. These services save scientists significant time, stress, and expense, and enhance their overall experience at the Institute and in Berlin.
Cultivating a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere at the Institute is also a priority. The head of the International Office, Anke Schepers-Klingebiel, has completed training to become an intercultural trainer. In 2024, she introduced a bi-yearly Institute-wide Onboarding Day in the context of which she conducts an intercultural training session with all new colleagues. In addition, she has gradually begun to train all employees in the service units in intercultural competences. Furthermore, the Board of Directors recently adopted the Principles of Interculturality for the Institute shown in Box 2.
Principles of Interculturality
We communicate clearly and understandably, listen actively, and create space for others to express themselves. We remain aware that non-verbal signals, including gestures, facial expressions, and personal space, may be interpreted differently across cultures, and we ask questions whenever something is unclear instead of making assumptions.
We approach all people with curiosity and openness. We avoid stereotypes and prejudices, and respect values and norms that differ from our own.
We acknowledge that perceptions of time may vary across cultures and jointly agree on clear timelines together. We remain flexible in accommodating different work and communication styles and create an environment where all colleagues feel encouraged to contribute, valuing their unique perspectives and needs.
We stay calm and respectful, even when misunderstandings occur. We actively seek solutions that work for everyone involved and remain open to questioning our own perspectives and engaging with alternative viewpoints.
We regularly reflect on our cultural conditioning, and its impact on our behavior. We pursue opportunities to deepen our understanding of intercultural topics and seek feedback from colleagues with different cultural backgrounds.
We treat all study participants and external partners with respect and care. We communicate clearly, ensure mutual understanding, and remain mindful of cultural differences. We act responsibly to prevent misunderstandings, coercion, or misuse of our work.
Another important change within RMP concerns the supervision of doctoral candidates. In 2025, the Board of Directors decided to convert the existing office catering to the International Max Planck Research Schools (IMPRS) into a central PhD Office. The PhD Officer, Silke Schäfer, is now responsible for all doctoral candidates at the Institute, regardless of their affiliation with a particular graduate school. The PhD Office ensures uniform standards, clear processes, and reliable support for all doctoral candidates, regardless of their center/group affiliation. It reduces the administrative burden on supervisors and doctoral candidates while improving quality assurance, transparency, and equal opportunities. The PhD Office ensures the onboarding of new doctoral candidates, including organizing a kick-off meeting between the supervisor and doctoral candidate to talk about mutual expectations and setting up the Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC). It also serves as a central point of contact that provides guidance and increases the Institute's attractiveness to international talent. The PhD Office also works closely with the Berlin universities to provide support for the processes involved in enrollment, dissertation submission, and defense.
Finally, RMP has professionalized access to soft skills training for all Institute employees during the reporting period. Astrid Wolff at the RMP office regularly provides information on all Planck Academy offerings on the topics of dealing with time pressure, managing workload, work-life balance, resilience, coping with stress, conflict resolution, non-violent communication, research funding, project management, career development, and mentoring. At the turn of each year, when the Planck Academy publishes its annual program, all employees receive a complete overview of all relevant courses for the coming year, supplemented by one or two updates during the year. Tips on how to use the Learning Management System (LMS) portal efficiently are provided on the RMP's internal MAX page. In addition, the RMP office also organizes additional Institute-wide training courses, such as scientific presentation training, as required.
Taken together, RMP plays a key strategic role in enabling excellent research at the Institute by creating reliable frameworks, reducing administrative complexity, and fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment. Through professionalized structures, close dialogue with researchers, and a strong service orientation, RMP ensures that scientists can focus on their core task—doing research—while being accompanied competently throughout all phases of their work. In doing so, RMP not only responds to current needs but actively helps shape the Institute's sustainable and future-oriented development.
