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Christoph Hüls becomes Managing Director of Max Planck Innovation GmbH, succeeding Jörn Erselius, who is retiring after more than 30 years of service

Max Planck Innovation GmbH (MI), the Max Planck Society’s technology transfer subsidiary, is kicking off the new year with a fresh leadership team. Christoph Hüls will join Bram Wijlands as co-managing director of MI, bringing extensive expertise in startups, patents, and licensing to the role. Together, they aim to further harness the innovation potential of the Max Planck Institutes.

Effective January 1, 2025, Hüls will take over responsibility for patents, licensing, and commercialization at MI as the new managing director. He succeeds Jörn Erselius, who retires after more than 30 years with MI, nearly 20 of which he served as managing director. Hüls will share leadership with Bram Wijlands, who oversees the startup division.

With over 25 years of international experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Hüls brings a wealth of knowledge to the position At Merck KGaA in Darmstadt, he most recently spearheaded innovation projects, including the production of tablets using 3D printing technology. He also held long-term responsibilities for in- and out-licensing and managed the Merck Corporate Venture Fund. Hüls is no stranger to Max Planck Innovation, having served as managing director of the Max Planck spin-off Protagen AG and as a member of MI’s advisory board. “I am thrilled to play an active role in shaping the Max Planck Society’s technology transfer and work with the Max Planck Innovation team to advance the commercialisation of research outcomes,” says Hüls about his new role.

Max Planck Innovation GmbH, based in Munich, facilitates technology transfer between cutting-edge research and industry. With the appointment of Hüls and Wijlands, the Max Planck Society is emphasising a dual leadership approach to equally strengthen patents and spin-offs. The new management team aims to better harness the innovation potential of the Max Planck Institutes, translating it into economically and socially impactful applications.

At Jörn Erselius’s farewell ceremony, Max Planck Society President Patrick Cramer expressed his deep gratitude for Erselius’s contributions. “Through your work, you have not only helped transform scientific discoveries into products that improve lives, but you have also significantly elevated the role of innovation within the Max Planck Society.” During Erselius’s tenure, numerous inventions from Max Planck Institutes, such as RNA interference technology, were successfully developed into market-ready products. Five drugs are based on this technology. MI’s most commercially successful project to date is the cancer drug Sutent, which has generated over 165 million euros in licensing revenue. Since its founding in 1970, MI has signed more than 3,000 commercialization agreements and supported around 200 startups, generating approximately 600 million euros in total revenue. With the founding of the Lead Discovery Centre (LDC) in Dortmund, which bridges academic research and industry, Erselius has also developed new translation concepts and successfully promoted their introduction. Today, the LDC employs 120 people and manages two funds (KHAN I and II).