Potsdam is planning an ambitious university campus on the Brauhausberg!

Potsdam is planning an ambitious university campus on the Brauhausberg!

The city of Potsdam is planning a comprehensive renovation of the former state parliament on the Brauhausberg into a modern university campus. On Wednesday evening, the city council voted with a large majority in favor of the corresponding motion and received support from several parties, including the SPD, Grüne-Volt, CDU, AfD, FDP, BfW and the Free Voters. Only the Left and the Die Andere faction voted against it. While the project has been elevated to the highest urban planning priority, other projects are in the queue.

The Hasso Plattner Foundation is primarily responsible for the renovation of the building in need of renovation. The co-founder of the software company SAP, Hasso Plattner, will finance the project with a three-digit million sum. The planned university location is intended to attract in particular the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Potsdam, which are currently located in the Babelsberg district on the Griebnitzsee campus.

A new impulse for the university landscape

The redesign of the campus is not just an architectural project, but also a strategic step to strengthen the University of Potsdam as a science location. According to estimates, the new location will accommodate between 5,000 and 6,000 students across faculties. The investment volume is estimated at several hundred million euros.

The project is described by Brandenburg's Prime Minister as a "lighthouse project for education and research", especially in the context of the current challenges caused by increasing student numbers. The Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) will also be expanded as a result of the move, and the number of students will double to 2,000. The aim is to establish Potsdam as an international science location in the field of artificial intelligence and to attract US researchers and students who are under pressure from their government.

However, criticism of the project comes from the left, which warns of the university's dependence on a single billionaire. These concerns are not unfounded, as university financing in Germany is very heterogeneous. Almost 90 percent of the funds come from the public sector; 75 percent is provided by the states, and only around 10 percent comes from private sources such as patronage or contract research, as the University Rectors' Conference explains.

Financing and future prospects

The basic financing of universities is a challenge for the federal states because they are tied to increased social spending. Nevertheless, the federal government is becoming increasingly active in financing higher education and has responded with the Higher Education Pact since 2007 in order to meet the high demand for study places.

Optimistic estimates suggest that the campus renovation could be completed in four years. Realistically, however, it is expected to last around ten years. Regardless of the financial challenges, the project is a significant step towards the further development of the university landscape in Potsdam and could provide far-reaching impetus for the region's scientific and educational landscape.

The opportunity to create a modern campus that serves as a contact point for young talent shows what potential the city has. However, the path to a higher education future remains rocky, especially when you consider the dependencies and financial structures. Tagesschau further reports that Hasso Plattner's commitment can also be understood as a signal for the future development of education and research in Germany.

Overall, the renovation of the old state parliament can be viewed as a qualitative upgrade of the academic landscape in Potsdam, which is gaining importance on both a regional and international level.