Since the beginning of 2026, scientists at the Max Planck Society can count on even more support: Max Planck Information and Technology (MaxIT) was launched on January 1. To this end, two institutions of the Max Planck Society were merged: the Information and Communication Technology Department of the General Administration and the Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL).
The newly created central institution of the Max Planck Society offers numerous research-supporting and administration-related information and IT services.
IT Executive Director Dr. Oliver Zeiler heads MaxIT: "Our message to Max Planck researchers is: 'We've got your back!'. For example, we take care of software licenses, negotiate open access agreements with scientific publishers, analyze large amounts of data, and provide tools that make work in the lab and at the offce desk easier. We also take care of IT solutions for office workstations and administrative processes. This combination is unique!"
The founding of Max Planck Information and Technology is part of the Max Planck Society's IT strategy, which emphasizes the growing importance of information technology in all areas of research. MaxIT is in close contact with the administrative management, libraries, and IT departments of all Max Planck Institutes, the Max Planck Computing and Data Facility (MPCDF), the Deutsches Klimarechenzentrum (DKRZ), and the Gesellschaft für wissenschafltiche Datenverarbeitung mbH (GWDG).
Dr. Oliver Zeiler emphasizes: "We are a very versatile institution, not purely an IT operation. That's why it's called ‘Information and Technology’. We handle the entire provision of scientific literature (Literaturgrundversorgung), we are rethinking processes with the help of artificial intelligence, and our team consists of experts from a wide variety of fields. At MaxIT, a biologist works alongside a linguist, and next door, a librarian works with an SAP professional. Thanks to this diversity, we can meet researchers at the Max Planck Institutes on an equal footing and provide them with optimal support."
Operational IT security is also the responsibility of Max Planck Information and Technology. Overall, MaxIT covers a wide range of topics. 2026 will be a year of new beginnings: the newly created team is eager to develop and offer digital tools and services as well as innovative solutions. Artificial intelligence will play a central role in the future in the further development of services, the automation of processes, and the support of scientific workflows.
The bundling of information, technology, and IT expertise will create new synergies—between research and administration, between central facilities and institutes, and between people with very different professional backgrounds.
MaxIT sees itself as a reliable partner, catalyst, and enabler for a sustainable, digitally sovereign Max Planck Society. Previous contractual partners of the Max Planck Digital Library can continue to rely on good cooperation: new name, same service - MPDL is part of Max Planck Information and Technology. Contracts with publishers remain unchanged, and the familiar contact persons will also remain the same.
More info:
Max Planck Information and Technology website: www.maxit.mpg.de
