The foundation has been named after the Presocratic philosopher Parmenides, who lived and taught in Elea, Lower Italy in the 5th century BC. Parmenides was the first philosopher who inquired systematically into the relation between thinking and reality, and the power of logical thought. It was established in 2001 in close cooperation with Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich as a non-profit organization. Parmenides Foundation is the first institution to bring together a broad variety of disciplines studying thinking. It therefore brought complex thinking back on the research agenda. Today the international Parmenides faculty comprises around 40 renowned scientists who represent the broad range of disciplines that is required in scientific research on human cognition and thinking. Since its formation the Parmenides Foundation has been organizing an ongoing series of workshops, talks and conferences on the topic of human thinking with the objective to going beyond disciplinary boundaries and breaking new ground. It is partially self-financed through licensee fees for own developments and proves that basic research can be applied successfully in multiple areas.