Facts and figures

Mission

The MDC is one of the world’s leading biomedical research centers. MDC scientists analyze how the human body works in both health and disease. But above all, their basic research discoveries aim to benefit patients as quickly as possible – whether that’s paving the way for better diagnostics and therapies or preventing healthy people from getting sick.

Year founded

1992

Namesake

Berlin-born Nobel laureate Max Delbrück (1906–1981), one of the founders of molecular biology

Locations

• Main location: 13125 Berlin-Buch, Robert-Rössle-Straße 10
• Second location: 10115 Berlin-Mitte (BIMSB), Hannoversche Straße 28

Organizational form

• Corporation under public law of the State of Berlin
• Legally independent member of the Helmholtz Association, Germany’s largest scientific organization
• Articles of association of the MDC, adopted at the meeting of the MDC Supervisory Board on December 10, 2015 (PDF)
• MDC organization chart

Leadership

• Scientific Director (interim): Prof. Dr. Thomas Sommer
• Administrative Director: Prof. Dr. Heike Graßmann

Employees

1,253 employees (current as of 2021)

• 833 working in scientific research
• 420 in administration

Percentage of women:

• Scientific research: 61.7%
• Administration: 60%

MDC Gender Equality Plan

Percentage of foreign scientists: 56.20%

Main research areas

The 83 labs at the MDC undertake research across four main areas and at the ECRC (see below):

• Cardiovascular & Metabolic Disease
• Cancer Research
• Diseases of the Nervous System
• Systems Biology at the Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB)

The MDC is also home to 18 technology platforms that develop scientific methods and technologies.

Translation – transfer of research findings into medical practice

The MDC has close partnerships with Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin within:

• the joint Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC) (12 labs)
• the Berliner Institute of Health (BIH)

The MDC also cooperates with other university hospitals through the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK).

The MDC is a founding member of Berlin Research 50 (association of Berlin's non-university research institutions). Founding coordinator of the Life Sciences Section is Thomas Sommer

Scientific excellence

• 26 European Research Council grants (ERC-Grants) have been awarded to MDC scientists
• Ernst Jung Prize winner: 1 (press release)
• Leibniz Prize winners: 4
• EMBO members: 9
• Leopoldina members: 5
• Second place among non-university research institutions in the area of life sciences in the DFG Funding Atlas (2018)

Publications

567 scientific papers (current as of: 2019)

• including 122 publications in journals with an impact factor > 10

Funding

90% from the German federal government (Federal Ministry of Education and Research);
10% from the State of Berlin

Budget

• €94.2 million from core funding
• €36.2 million from third-party funding (incl. the BIH)

(current as of 2019)