Mangold International: 35+ Years of German-Engineered Behavioral Research Software

Mangold International is the pioneering global provider of software and turnkey systems for scientific audio and video analysis-designed, built, and supported entirely in Germany. Since 1991, our team in Lower Bavaria has built the tools that researchers, skills labs, and training centers rely on to capture, synchronize, and analyze human and animal behavior with research-grade precision. Today, universities, research institutions, and industry partners in more than 50 countries use Mangold solutions-including a large share of the world’s leading academic institutions. Service and support come straight from the people who built the software-no resellers, no outsourcing, no middlemen.

Federally Recognized R&D - Endorsed by the German Government

On April 25, 2023, the Certification Authority for the Research Allowance (BSFZ)-operating on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)-formally recognized one of Mangold International’s core R&D programs (Reference No. 217-099-014/2023-1).

The recognized multi-year project:

“Development of a cross-platform software for data acquisition and analysis with innovative time precision for time-critical, complex video/audio data in interdisciplinary scientific applications.”

Project at a glance:

• Project period: January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2023
• Recognized R&D investment: €456,600
• Research category: In-house R&D
• Criteria met under the German R&D Tax Credit Act (FZulG): novelty, technical risk, and methodical planning

The BSFZ evaluates research projects against the EU’s General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER). A formal recognition confirms that the project goes far beyond routine engineering and delivers genuine scientific and technical novelty. Across Germany, the BSFZ certification is recognized as a quality seal for substantive R&D.

What the Project Means in Plain Engineering

At its core, this is a next-generation framework for capturing and analyzing time-critical research data:

• Cross-platform synchronization across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
• 100-nanosecond time precision for multimedia data streams.
• A purpose-built workflow management engine with hierarchical semantic data structures.
• Eliminates the chronic problems of multi-source recording: data drift, frame asynchrony, and reliability gaps.
• Native Python integration for AI/ML pipelines.

This R&D laid the foundation for today’s Mangold product lineup-and culminated in the 2025 launch of Mangold Observation Studio .

Made in Germany - From the First Line of Code to the Fully Installed Lab

Mangold International has made a deliberate choice: no foreign subsidiaries, no outsourced development, no support call centers in unrelated time zones. The principle is simple:

Anything carrying the Mangold name is built, tested, and supported in Germany.

Here’s what that means for you in practical terms:

• Software engineered in Germany. INTERACT , VideoSyncPro , and Mangold Observation Studio are written at our Arnstorf headquarters. No outsourced codebases. No third-country dev teams.
• Turnkey labs with German quality control. Skills labs, simulation centers, and observation labs are designed, configured, and shipped from our German facility.
• Direct manufacturer support-worldwide. Whether you’re in Boston, Tokyo, or Tel Aviv, support comes straight from Arnstorf-from the engineers who actually wrote the software. No third-party hotline. No reseller filter.
• EU-grade data protection. Our AI features are built under European data protection law-not subject to foreign data export regimes.
• Long-term reliability. Customers who buy from us today will still be able to count on the same company with the same standards many years from now-at least, that’s what we’ve delivered to our customers over the past 35 years.

In an industry where research software and systems typically reaches end users through multi-tier distributor chains, our direct-from-manufacturer model is a deliberate quality commitment.

The Mangold International Story

Behavioral research pioneers since 1991. Research software made in Germany. Federally recognized. At home on four continents.

1991 - The Spark

Pascal Mangold launches his independent practice as a computer and multimedia technology specialist. The same year marks the beginning of his collaboration with Prof. Dr. Mechthild Papoušek of Munich’s Children’s Center-the scientific origin of the brand and the birth of the INTERACT software.

Prof. Dr. Papoušek reflects: “Meeting Pascal Mangold at that time was a tremendous gift and a rare opportunity. Ever since, we have valued his friendship, his support, and his willingness to adapt and continuously evolve his software to meet our scientific and clinical needs.”

In 2010, Prof. Dr. Papoušek received the Bavarian Order of Merit for her contributions to science. In 2014, Mangold International awarded her its Honorary Medal.

2000 - International Conference Appearance

ICIS Brighton (UK)-Mangold International exhibits one of the world’s most important conferences for infant studies. The start of an unbroken ICIS presence that continues to this day.

2001 - INTERACT Becomes the Core Business

As multimedia-capable computing comes of age, INTERACT becomes the official flagship product and goes global. First foothold in the German scientific community at EPSY Potsdam.

2003 - Move to Arnstorf and Entry into Three Research Markets

The company relocates to Arnstorf in Lower Bavaria and incorporates as a GmbH. With appearances at Mensch und Computer, HCII Crete, and Applied Ethology Freiburg, Mangold International enters three of its core disciplines in a single year: HCI, usability, and behavioral research.

2004 - A Stage of Our Own

Inauguration of the newly built headquarters in Arnstorf. The first Mangold Symposium in Göttingen marks the start of an enduring scientific symposium tradition. Five top conferences in one year: CHI Vienna, DGPs Göttingen, WAIMH, IACAPAP Berlin, and GfA Zurich. Entry into the simulation business begins with the Symposium on Simulation in Medicine, Tübingen.

2005 - First Innovation Award and Global Reach

XperRegio Award-the first official innovation distinction. With appearances at SRCD Atlanta, HCII Las Vegas, ABA Chicago, WCMT Brisbane, and World Psychiatry Cairo, Mangold International is on four continents in a single year. The Mangold Symposium Munich runs as the second German-language symposium for behavioral research. The year Mangold International becomes a truly global brand.

2006 - The Asian Opening and the Partner Network

ICIS Kyoto, CHI Montreal, APPAC Athens, ICBM Bangkok-four continents in one year. The Pitotech lecture tour in Taipei kicks off the partnership with Pitotech (Taiwan) that continues today. Beginning of the collaboration with the French distribution partner.

2007 - Breaking into the U.S. Market

Appearances at SRCD Boston, CHI San Diego, HCII Beijing, and EARLI Budapest-four of the world’s leading conferences in their respective fields. Founding of Mangold Inc. in Atlanta, USA, and a meeting with Sonny Perdue (then Governor of Georgia, later U.S. Secretary of Agriculture). Personal encounters with Ben Shneiderman (HCI pioneer, University of Maryland) and Roger Bakeman (leading methodologist in observational research).

2008 - High-Volume Orders and U.S. Expansion

INTERACT licenses ordered in high volume by leading German universities. Appearances at ICIS Vancouver, CHI Florence, APS Chicago, ITEC Stockholm, and ISSBD Würzburg-Mangold International is present at 16+ international events in 2008. Further meetings with Sonny Perdue and continued U.S. expansion.

2009 - University Contracts and the First Usability Lab

First major contract with a leading university in southern Germany, equivalent to a complete methodology lab. Beginning of strategic collaboration with a Russian reseller. Appearances at SRCD Denver, ECVP Regensburg, ECDP Vilnius, and ESOMAR Montreux. Opening of the Usability Lab in Nuremberg as a turnkey installation.

2010 - A Complete Lab for a Global Consumer Goods Brand

Order to outfit an entire building for one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies. Lab installations in Dresden, Leuven, Muttenz, Singen, Kuala Lumpur, and Vienna-the lab business takes hold at universities worldwide. Conference presence at ICIS Baltimore, EACR London, EECERA Birmingham, and WAIMH Leipzig.

2011 - U.S. Federal Contracts and the IMFAR Debut

Contracts with U.S. federal agencies, with lab installation and training in Tacoma. IMFAR San Diego-first appearance at the world’s leading autism research conference. Additional appearances at SRCD Montreal, APS Washington, and EARLI Exeter.

2012 - Conference Density and Federal Politics

Member of the German Bundestag visits Mangold-political visibility at the federal level. Expansion of the headquarters with an additional building. Appearances at SRA Vancouver, IMFAR Toronto, ICEEPSY Istanbul, ICP Cape Town, and ISAE Vienna-seven top conferences across six countries.

2013 - Double Distinction and Institutional Maturity

Best Business Award for sustainable corporate management. Bavarian Export Prize awarded by Bavaria’s State Ministry for Economic Affairs. Officially certified apprenticeship company with the first apprentices on board. Presence at nine international top conferences, including SRCD Seattle, EARLI Munich, ECDP Lausanne, and ABA Minneapolis. Lab installation in Harare (Zimbabwe)-the African debut.

2014 - Slovakia Mega-Project and Honorary Medal for Papoušek

Slovakia mega-project-Mangold International equips 82 educational institutions across the country. Award of the Mangold International Honorary Medal to Prof. Dr. Mechthild Papoušek. First nomination for the Großer Preis des Mittelstands (multiple nominations since). A peak year with presence at 13+ top conferences, including AERA Philadelphia, ICIS Berlin, ABA Chicago, EECERA Crete, and PsySSA Durban. 10-year anniversary of the earliest team members.

2015 - Mexico Entry and Latin American Foothold

IMSH New Orleans-first appearance at the leading U.S. healthcare simulation conference. Partnership with a Mexican distribution company marks the entry into Latin America. 10+ top conferences worldwide, including SRCD Philadelphia, AERA Chicago, EARLI Limassol, ECDP Braga, and HCII Los Angeles.

2016 - Japan Debut and Political Recognition

ICP Yokohama-debut at the International Congress of Psychology in Japan. Award ceremony with MEP Manfred Weber, including invitation and personal meeting. With appearances at EECERA Dublin, PsySSA Johannesburg, Falan Buenos Aires, AERA Washington, and ICIS New Orleans, Mangold International is present on four continents.

2017 - Reseller Summit at Mariakirchen Castle

Three-day international reseller summit in Arnstorf/Mariakirchen Castle-the largest distribution partner gathering to date. The highest density of lab installations in company history: Mutoko (Zimbabwe), Riverside (USA), Bernburg, Rothenburg, Bonn, Berlin, Münster, Ulm, Essen, Mainz, Leipzig, Rostock, Neubiberg. Market entry in Colombia with a scientific distribution partner. Appearances at SRCD Austin, ECP Amsterdam, EECERA Bologna, and PAPU Durban.

2018 - Major Product Development and International Sales

Fundamental evolution of the core products: INTERACT 18, VideoSyncPro 2.0, MangoldVision, and the portable AV lab. Conference presence at ICAP Montreal, ICIS Philadelphia, EARA Ghent, DGPs Frankfurt, and InSiM Aschaffenburg. University lectures in front of international delegations and recognition of long-tenured team members.

2019 - 15 Years In, and Conferences Across the Globe

15-year anniversary for the first generation of team members-an unbroken loyalty curve. Appearances at IMSH San Antonio, SRCD Baltimore, INSAR Montreal, EARLI Aachen, and AMEE Vienna. Lab build-out in Michigan (USA) and lab installation in Cluj (Romania). International training engagements in Norway, the USA, and Taiwan.

2020 - The Pandemic Tests the Substance

RETTmobil Fulda, DIVI Hamburg, InSiM Reutlingen-the emergency medicine core stays present throughout. International reach holds in the pandemic year (partly hybrid/online): AERA San Francisco, INSAR Seattle, DGfE Cologne. Market entry in Turkey (Istanbul) and HRM Varna (Bulgaria)-new markets in the middle of a global crisis. Local political officials visit Mangold, anchoring community ties during the pandemic.

2021 - Pandemic Resilience and Central Asia

SRCD virtual, iIIRG UK virtual, CNS China, and CogSci Vienna-Mangold International proves its online conference capability. International webinars conducted alongside conferences, including for Turkey and Russia.

2022 - Police and Public Safety Market Takes Off

EnforceTac Nuremberg, GPEC Frankfurt, iIIRG Winchester (UK)-within six months, the police and public safety market becomes a structural pillar. Appearances at ABA International Dublin, ICIS Ottawa, DGPs Hildesheim, InSiM Reutlingen, and FIT’NG Paris. RETTmobil Fulda continues unbroken.

2023 - Federal R&D Recognition

BSFZ certification-the certification authority acting on behalf of the BMBF formally recognizes the multi-year R&D project. Second Best Business Award. Meeting with Hubert Aiwanger-Pascal Mangold invited by Bavaria’s State Minister for Economic Affairs. China tour Shanghai–Nanjing–Shenzhen–Beijing–Xi’an-a strategic Asian milestone. Appearances at SRCD Salt Lake City, AERA Chicago, APS Washington, and EARLI-JURE Thessaloniki.

2024 - Cross-Platform Maturity and 20-Year Anniversary

20-year anniversary for first-generation team members. Top-conference presence on two continents across nearly every core discipline: AERA Philadelphia, ICIS Glasgow, DGPs Vienna, GPEC Leipzig, RETTmobil Fulda, and HLKA Wiesbaden. China tour Dali–Beijing–Shanghai–Ningbo and visits with Chinese distribution partners.

2025 - Mangold Observation Studio Launches and Axis Gold Partner Status

Launch of Mangold Observation Studio-the direct outcome of the federally recognized R&D project. Axis Gold Partner status-the highest tier of partnership in the professional network camera segment. Four continents, 18+ events, including AERA Denver, SRCD Minneapolis, EARLI Graz, ECDP Vilnius, GPEC digital Leipzig, RETTmobil Fulda, and DIVI Hamburg.

2026 - Booked Pipeline Across Four Continents

ICIS Panama-first Latin American appearance at the world’s leading infant studies conference. International top conferences: AERA Los Angeles, SRA Toronto, SPSP Chicago, DGPs Luxembourg. Structural footprint in emergency medicine and public safety: GPEC Leipzig, RETTmobil Fulda, InSiM Fulda, DRK Rescue Service Kassel, Police Day Hamburg, … and more to follow.

Today

Mangold International is the world’s leading provider of software and turnkey labs for behavioral and observational research, video debriefing systems for simulation training, and AV interview recording systems for law enforcement, courts and judicial authorities, serving customers in 50+ countries: universities, research institutions, industry, and government organizations.

Where Research Happens: 870+ International Conferences Since 2000

Since the year 2000, Mangold International has been on the ground at more than 870 scientific conferences, trade shows, symposia, and training events worldwide-as exhibitor, sponsor, invited speaker, and pre-conference workshop host.

This is not marketing for marketing’s sake. It’s how we stay close to the science: if you exhibit where the research happens, you understand the requirements before they reach the market. Every Mangold feature is shaped by direct conversations with the leading researchers in each discipline.

Top Recurring Conferences (Selected)

Behavioral, Developmental, and Educational Research:

• SRCD - Society for Research in Child Development (USA, biennial)
• ICIS - International Congress of Infant Studies (worldwide rotating, biennial)
• AERA - American Educational Research Association (USA, annual)
• EARLI - European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (Europe, biennial)
• ECDP - European Conference on Developmental Psychology (Europe, biennial)
• DGPs - German Psychological Society Conference (DACH region, biennial)
• DGKJP / DGKiM - German Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Emergency Medicine, Public Safety, and Simulation:

• RETTmobil Fulda - Europe’s leading trade fair for rescue and mobility (annual, for over a decade)
• GPEC Leipzig - General Police Equipment Convention
• DIVI - German Interdisciplinary Congress for Emergency and Critical Care Medicine
• InSiM - International Conference on Simulation in Medicine
• IMSH - International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (USA)

Human-Computer Interaction and Usability:

• HCII - Human-Computer Interaction International
• CHI - ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
• Mensch und Computer (DACH region’s leading HCI conference)

Behavioral Analysis and Ethology:

• ABA - Association for Behavior Analysis International (USA)
• ISAE - International Society for Applied Ethology
• Applied Ethology (DACH region)

What This Conference Footprint Means for You

• Direct line to the international research community. Our team personally knows the researchers you collaborate with.
• Products built around real research workflows. Every feature has been shaped by feedback from top-tier institutions.
• Domain expertise across the board-from infant studies and classroom research to law enforcement training and emergency response.
• Face-to-face access-not anonymous tickets in a help desk queue. We’re at your discipline’s conferences, and we’d love to meet you there.

What Sets Mangold International Apart

• Made in Germany-from code to complete lab. Development, manufacturing, quality assurance, and support all happen at our German headquarters in Arnstorf.
• Direct manufacturer support. No outsourcing, no reseller layers between you and the engineers. Talk to Mangold, and you’re talking to the company that built your software.
• Three and a half decades of focused R&D-continuously, in one tightly defined research domain since 1991.
• Federally recognized R&D performance through BSFZ certification on behalf of the BMBF.
• Scientific credibility earned through decades of collaboration with leading researchers.
• Multi-award-winning innovation (XPerRegio, Bavarian Export Prize, Best Business Award).
• International reach across four continents and 50+ countries.
• Officially certified apprenticeship company since 2013-a long-term commitment to in-house German engineering talent.
• Deep domain knowledge in medical simulation, behavioral research, developmental psychology, sports science, animal behavior, and industrial product development.

Our Solutions

Mangold International delivers software and turnkey solutions for scientific observation and audio/video recording:

• Mangold INTERACT Software the behavioral coding and analysis platform trusted in research and practice for over three decades.
• Mangold VideoSyncPro Software : marker-based recording software for synchronized multi-camera capture.
• Mangold Observation Studio Software : the next generation of multimodal data capture and analysis.
• Video debriefing systems for simulation training : complete AV debriefing solutions, including planning, installation, and service.
• Turnkey labs and integrated observation suites : purpose-built audio/video observation environments for research institutions and industry.
• AV interview recording systems for law enforcement and justice : for legally compliant, trauma-informed, evidence-grade interviews - especially with children, adolescents, and other vulnerable populations.
• AV recording systems for therapy and clinical practice : for secure, discreet, GDPR-compliant recording in therapy sessions, supervision, counseling, and clinical training.

Talk to Our Team

Planning a skills lab, a research facility, or a video debriefing system for simulation training? We’ll guide you based on 35+ years of project experience in 50+ countries-directly from the German manufacturer, no detours.

How can we help you?

We’d love to hear about your project. Reach out to our team of experts to discuss your goals and how we can support you.

Contact Us

Also of interest: Mangold Observation Studio · customer references