History of the Max Planck Institute Magdeburg

1996 to 1999

• 20 June 1996 In Saarbrücken, the Senate of the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science e.V. decides to establish a Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems. The focus is on chemical and biological process engineering. Magdeburg is the recommended location.
• May 1997 Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ernst Dieter Gilles appointed founding director; institute to be located in Magdeburg
• March 1998 Start of planning the institute’s new building; jury approves design by Henn Architects (Munich, Berlin)
• April 1998 Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas Seidel-Morgenstern appointed External Scientific Member of the MPI for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems Magdeburg
• June 1998 Scientific work begins in rooms and laboratories of the ZENIT building, Leipziger Straße, Magdeburg
• April 16th, 1999 Ceremonial commencement of work at the ZENIT building (Zentrum für Neurowissenschaftliche Innovation und Technologie) in Magdeburg
• October 19th, 1999 Foundation stone ceremony for the Max Planck Institute’s new building at Askanischer Platz in Magdeburg

2000 to 2009

• July 2000 Prof. Dr.-Ing. Udo Reichl appointed Scientific Member of the Max Planck Society and Director of the Max Planck Institute Magdeburg
• September 19th, 2000 Roofing ceremony for the institute’s new building
• July 2001 Prof. Dr.-Ing. Kai Sundmacher appointed Scientific Member of the Max Planck Society and Director of the Max Planck Institute Magdeburg
• 2001 After only a two year period of construction the institute’s new building delivers with a total of 5700 m² effective area; total investment by the Max Planck Society was 29 Million Euros
• February 2002 Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Raisch appointed External Scientific Member of the Max Planck Institute Magdeburg 
• March 2002 Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas Seidel-Morgenstern appointed Scientific Member of the Max Planck Society and Director of the Max Planck Institute Magdeburg
• May 2002 Ceremonial inauguration of the institute’s new building
• June 2003 First meeting of the Scientific Advisory Board of the institute
• March 2004 Kunst am Bau (Project with local artist) - Inauguration of the Pfahlobjekt
• October 2004 Inauguration of the Guesthouse II on the institute's premises
• May 2006 First public Science Night in Magdeburg
• September 2006 Constituent meeting of the institute’s board of trustees
• December 2006 Founding of the interdisciplinary research center Dynamic Systems: Systems Engineering
• March 2007 Prof. Dr.-Ing. Achim Kienle appointed External Scientific Member of the Max Planck Institute Magdeburg
• October 2007 Inauguration of the International Max Planck Research School Magdeburg (IMPRS)
• May 2008 Ten year anniversary celebration of the Max Planck Institute in Magdeburg; Retirement of founding director Prof. Dr. Ernst Dieter Gilles
• 2008 Otto Hahn Research Group Portable Energy Systems established (Dr.-Ing. Ulrike Krewer, until 2011)
• February 2009 Research Group Analysis and Redesign of Biological Networks established (Dr.-Ing. Steffen Klamt)

2010 to 2019

• July 2010 Molecular Simulations and Design group established (Dr. Matthias Stein)
• September 2010 Prof. Peter Benner appointed Scientific Member of the Max Planck Society and Director at the MPI Magdeburg
• December 2010 Setting up of multi-core LINUX cluster otto
• August 2013 Research group Numerical Linear Algebra for Dynamic Systems established (Dr. Martin Stoll, until 2017)
• December 2016 Consolidator Grant of the European Research Council for Dr.-Ing. Steffen Klamt, head of the group  Analysis and Redesign of Biological Networks
• January 2017 Prof. Dr. Athanasios C. Antoulas named as Max Planck Fellow associated with the Max Planck Institute Magdeburg
• August 2018 Newly installed multi-core LINUX cluster mechthild put into service
• September 2018: 20th Anniversary of the MPI and Public Max Planck Evening with Science Slam
• October 2018 Research group Electrochemical Energy Conversion established (Dr.-Ing. Tanja Vidaković-Koch)
• June 12, 2019 The founding director Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ernst Dieter Gilles died in Stuttgart. He was 84.
• November 14, 2019 Commemorative Colloquium at the Max Planck Institute Magdeburg in honor of the scientific achievements of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ernst Dieter Gilles

2020 to 2023

• January 2020 The Max Planck Institute Magdeburg launches the Ernst Dieter Gilles Postdoctoral Fellowship.
• 2020 - 2022: COVID 19 Pandemic with implications on research, organisation of work and social contacts as well as events
• April 2022 Research group Data-driven Modeling of Complex Physical Systems established (Dr. Feliks Nüske)
• June 2023: Honouring the 25th anniversary of the start of work of the MPI with the Symposium “Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems: Current Status and Future Perspectives”