Founded in 1994, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) in Berlin is one of the more than 80 research institutes administered by the Max Planck Society in the sciences and humanities.

The MPIWG is an advocate of open access to scholarly knowledge and supports the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities. The institute aims to make historic documents accessible (see search portal), to provide new electronic research tools, and to establish new forms of publication.

In the “Preprint” series, the MPIWG provides a forum for preliminary research results in the history of science, which can also be accessed through this website. Every six to eight weeks, a new “research topic” is published introducing one of the institute’s most recent research projects. New publications can be found here and in the Institute’s comprehensive bibliography. Every two to three years, the Research Report provides information on the work of the Institute and its departments.

The MPIWG maintains close research connections with a number of institutes in various fields. Many researchers visit the MPIWG, and the institute is part of an international network of research institutions and researchers in the history of science.

Close working relationships traditionally exist with universities in Berlin where the Berlin Center for the History of Knowledge takes shape. The MPIWG is a partner institution in Excellence Clusters such as TOPOI and“Bild Wissen Gestaltung” and in Collaborative Research Centres (“Sonderforschungsbereiche”) such as “Transformations of Antiquity” and “Episteme in Motion.” Collaborative efforts include digitalization of historical data, the development of research tools, conferences, transnational research groups, and book projects. For an overview, click here.

Contact person: Dagmar Schaefer  dschaefer@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de