The MPIWG and the History of Science Worldwide

The MPIWG sees international collaboration as the most promising organizational format to pursue research in the history of science. Many researchers visit the MPIWG, and the institute is part of an international network of research institutions and researchers in the history of science. The MPIWG sustains close research connections with a number of institutes in various fields, and collaborative efforts include digitalization of historical data, the development of research tools, conferences, transnational research groups and book projects.

Center for the History of Knowledge in Berlin

Over the past years, local cooperation between the Free University of Berlin, the Humboldt University, and the Technical University has intensified, resulting in a formal cooperation agreement. This agreement entails the creation of new positions in history of science on the part of the universities and the appointment of each of the institute’s Junior Research Group leaders as faculty members. The ultimate goal of this cooperation is the creation of an International Center for the History of Knowledge in Berlin, which will be affiliated with other Berlin-based research institutions. The new center aspires to establish an intellectual and organizational framework for researching and teaching past knowledge cultures in new ways.

Research Network "History of Scientific Objects"

The International Research Network "History of Scientific Objects" was funded by the Innovation Fund of the president of the Max Planck Society and linked the MPIWG to major international centers for the history and philosophy of science and technology, including universities and museums. Its objective was to promote an integrated interdisciplinary approach to the topic, involving junior and senior scholars. The network's various projects (e.g., workshops, book projects, traveling seminars) were dedicated to scholarly exchange at all levels. One of their primary aims was to draw attention to an essential part of the material culture of modern sciences, which has become a field of scientific research only recently: scientific objects. Current areas of research include the emergence of new objects in scientific enquiry; the relationship between scientific artifacts (e.g., instruments) and technological systems; scientific things as historical evidence; and the interaction among scientific things, images, and texts.