BrightSync

We believe that innovation emerges when brilliant minds meet meaningful challenges. We build the structures to make that happen.

Across disciplines · Across institutions · Across sectors.

Our vision is to create seamless and sustainable bridges between academia, industry, and society through connecting scientists with meaningful career paths and offering companies on-demand problem-solving expertise.

Through an interdisciplinary talent pool of exceptional scientists – from PhD candidates and postdocs to group leaders and directors at Europe’s leading research institutions – BrightSync connects top scientific minds with the most pressing challenges of companies and organizations.

BrightSync is a start-up initiative funded by MAX!mize, the official start-up incubation program of the Max Planck Society and Max Planck Innovation GmbH.

Become part of our talent pool and growing community of excellent scientists. Registration is now open.

The Idea

The Concept

Research Institutes

Scientists

Talent Pool

Problems

Solutions

Industry & Society

Research Organisations
enable scientists …

from all levels – PhD to PI – to participate in BrightSync projects and thereby support their career path and profile.

BrightSync
selects the suitable experts …

forms interdisciplinary teams, manages the entire research process, enables talent recruitment.

Companies & Organizations
define their demands …

such as problem solving, innovative R&D solutions, data & analytics, strategic advice.

BrightSync Services

Solutions

Solve urgent quality, process, and transformation challenges with on-demand scientific expertise. We define your problem together, break it down into clear deliverables, and set up a short, guided project with the right experts from our talent pool. Throughout the project, we keep communication simple and structured, so everyone stays aligned on goals, responsibilities, and timelines. The result is a practical output you can implement—such as a root-cause analysis, an improved process, or a clear action plan for the next steps.

Innovations

Develop new concepts, test plans, and early prototypes for your R&D and innovation goals with research-driven project teams. We help you turn an idea into a structured project with clear deliverables, realistic timelines, and measurable outcomes. Depending on your need, we provide analyses, experiment designs or pilot results. You benefit from fresh perspectives and deep expertise across disciplines which helps you unlock your innovation potential.

Academy

The BrightSync Academy prepares our excellent talent pool both for our Solutions & Innovation projects and for the transition from academia into non-academic fields, such as industry or public sector. It combines workshops, training, coaching and events with sessions led by invited industry experts—building a growing community for exchange and peer learning across disciplines and sectors.

News

May | We were excited to host our first BrightSync Career Talk together with Guidance, Skills and Opportunities (GSO) for Researchers e.V. In this lunchtime format, Beatrice Lansbergen (PhD) shared insights into her transition from academia to industry and offered practical advice for PhDs and postdocs exploring non-academic careers.

The event marked the start of our career talk series on pathways beyond academia.

April | It was great to join the workshop “Innovationstransfer über Köpfe” at the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space in Berlin. The discussions on knowledge transfer, mobility, and cross-sector collaboration were insightful. They confirmed how important it is to connect transfer with career development and create better conditions for cooperation between science and industry.

Thanks a lot to the organizers for the inspiring exchange!

March | It was great to visit Max-Planck-Innovation GmbH to talk about the impact that BrightSync can have. It was really insightful to dive into the different aspects of social impact! Reflecting on impact goals, strategy, management, and communication really helped to refine the mission of BrightSync.

Thanks a lot to MAX!mize Incubator for Max Planck Start-ups for organizing the event!

February | Grateful for the opportunity to speak at the Startup School 2026 dinner of the Max-Planck-Förderstiftung. Two years ago, we attended as participants, learning and listening. This year, being invited as speakers was a special and humbling moment for us at BrightSync.

Thanks to the organizers and to everyone we had the chance to talk with. We had some great conversations and really appreciated the openness and exchange.

January | BrightSync visited the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing for a focused work session, exchanging ideas with people on site and moving key BrightSync topics forward.

Huge thanks to the team for hosting us so warmly — it was a pleasure to be there. We had many inspiring conversations and met many great people along the way.

January | BrightSync joined the Business Women Network Dortmund where our co-founder Dr. Iris Mencke pitched BrightSync and our mission to connect academia and industry.

Hosted at Elements Dortmund, the event brought together inspiring voices across science, business, strategy, creativity, and health—creating space for meaningful conversations and strong networking.