Governor Crist Announces The Establishment Of The Max Planck Institute Of Bio-Imaging To The State Of Florida

TALLAHASSEE – Governor Charlie Crist today joined Senate President Ken Pruitt and Dr. Peter Gruss, President and CEO of the Max Planck Society based in Munich, Germany, to announce the creation of the Florida Max Planck Institute of Bio-imaging in Jupiter.

“The announcement of the Institute today is a testament to the dynamic synergy that exists between Max Planck Society and Florida’s leadership in the global effort to cure diseases and improve human health,” said Governor Crist.” Florida’s leadership in life sciences will only continue to grow.”

The Institute, which will be located on the campus of Florida Atlantic University, will support approximately 1,824 positions directly and indirectly, over a 20-year period and will generate $2.4 billion in labor compensation and $5.3 billion in gross state product in its first 20 years of operation.

The state’s investment in the Florida Max Planck Institute will establish an important research center that will unite advanced optical microscopy, magnetic resonance and imaging sciences. The technology will allow researchers to study the structure, dynamics and function of molecules and tissues. The challenging problems within the field of biology, bioengineering and medicine will be more comprehensible with the addition of the institute. 

The Max Planck Society is a non-profit German research organization with 78 institutes and research facilities currently employing more than 12,000 people, including 4,200 scientists. In total, Max Planck scientists have made more than 2,300 inventions and nearly 1,400 license agreements in place. Results of Max Planck researchers have led to major breakthroughs in the diagnosis and therapy of diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, breast and colon cancer.