A Max Planck Institute for Engineering Science?

Traditionally, the natural sciences form the main focus of the German Max Planck Society.
The main objective of the natural sciences is to progress towards or contribute to a better understanding of natural processes. Engineering science makes use of this knowledge and develops methods and techniques that allow specific or particular technical systems to be constructed. However, even the engineering sciences can no longer be regarded as a field of pure application. Even in this field there is the need for basic research, i.e. long-term fundamental studies. Chemical industries, for example, are trying to meet the increasing requirements of safety, pollution control and efficiency with higher integration of the plant sections. Production processes, therefore, show increasing complexity. The utilisation of biological processes by biotechnology also involves complex dynamic behaviour which is not easy to understand.

In order to understand and develop such complex systems, the engineering sciences have to take into consideration the scientific fundamentals of the related processes. Strategies for safe handling and optimal operation of complex systems can only be developed by making use of new methods of systems and information theory.

Because of this basic research in engineering sciences has to be interdisciplinary. It has to consider both natural sciences and industrial application, and must combine them. The requirements for this instrumental role can not be satisfactorily met within the traditional setting for research in engineering science, i.e. universities and industry. For this reason, in 1996 the Max Planck Society decided to establish the new Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, which is the first Max Planck Institute or for the engineering sciences.