Deutsches Primatenzentrum GmbH (DPZ)

The German Primate Centre (DPZ, founded in 1977) is a non-profit independent research and service institute. It is a member of the Leibniz Association and funded by the federal government and by the states of Germany. In addition, about 40 % of the total budget of 15 million Euro comes from grants. The functions and services of the DPZ concentrate on biological and biomedical research on and with primates and include the study and maintenance of free ranging primate populations and improvements in husbandry of primates in human care. The DPZ's mission is to serve as a center of excellence for research with primates and as a service and competence center for those institutions in Germany and abroad that house primates and/or do primate-related research (e.g. academic laboratories and zoological gardens). The center is organized in three sections: Organismic Primate Biology, Neurosciences and Infection Re-search. The DPZ is closely cooperating with the University of Göttingen und the local Max-Planck institutes. Heads of departments hold professorship at the University of Göttingen or at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Hanover. Since the DPZ is unique in Germany and only one similar institute exists in Europe, the Center is of international importance.