Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) strive to understand the principles of perception, action, and learning which underlie intelligent systems that successfully interact with complex environments. In addition to gaining a scientific understanding of natural intelligent systems, the institute's researchers aim to use such insights to design artificially intelligent systems in the future. With campuses in Tübingen and Stuttgart, the MPI-IS combines theory, software, and hardware expertise in a single interdisciplinary center. This combination enables the pursuit of basic research in a broad range of connected topics within the research field of intelligent systems.

The institute fosters young researchers by providing an interdisciplinary education in the field of intelligent systems and offering state-of-the-art research opportunities. Doctoral students from all over the world play a key role in the institute's research activities. About half the scientists at the MPI-IS are currently at the doctoral level. In addition to individual doctoral scholarships, many Ph.D. students at the MPI-IS are participating in one of the graduate programs that the institute has set up with partner universities. Established in 2017 in partnership with the University of Stuttgart and the University of Tübingen, the International Max Planck Research School for Intelligent Systems (IMPRS-IS) is the institute's main doctoral program. In addition, the institute runs joint doctoral programs with university partners abroad: the ETH Zurich, the University of Cambridge, UK, and the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA.

The Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and ETH Zurich cooperate in the research field of "Learning Systems". For this purpose, they have founded the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems (CLS). It is the first joint doctoral program of ETH Zurich and the Max Planck Society. Since the program was founded in 2015, 112 doctoral students and post-docs have been admitted as Fellows or Associated Fellows. CLS currently counts 50 directors, professors, and research group leaders among its members or associated members. In July 2019, the Max Planck Society and ETH Zurich agreed to extend the program's funding[2] until 2025.

Since December 2016, the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems is part of the research network Cyber Valley.[3] Partners are the University of Stuttgart, the University of Tübingen, the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, the State of Baden-Württemberg and seven industrial partners: Amazon, BMW Group, Daimler AG, IAV GmbH, Porsche AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, and ZF Friedrichshafen AG. Cyber Valley is also supported by the Christian Bürkert Foundation, the Gips-Schüle Foundation, the Vector Foundation, and the Carl Zeiss Foundation.

Founded in 2018, the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) aims to strengthen Europe's role in global AI research[4] by providing outstanding machine learning scientists with opportunities to conduct top-class research locally. It also aims to be a modern training and further education location in the field of machine learning. Cooperation between scientists and researchers from industry creates a breeding ground for start-ups and technology transfer, which promotes economic development. ELLIS members call for a significant increase in investment in the research infrastructure in the field of machine learning and the establishment of interconnected ELLIS locations throughout Europe.

• Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS)
• Max Planck Research School for Intelligent Systems (IMPRS-IS)
• Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems (CLS)
• Cyber Valley
• European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS)