Research Center in Göttingen: Topping-out ceremony celebrated for groundbreaking studies!

Research Center in Göttingen: Topping-out ceremony celebrated for groundbreaking studies!

On June 18, 2025, the topping-out ceremony for the interdisciplinary research center Human Cognition and Behavior (HuCaB) was celebrated in Göttingen. The shell of the center at the University of Göttingen is now completed. The new building, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the Georg Elias Müller Institute for Psychology, will focus on research into human social cognition. Researchers from the fields of psychology, biology and data science will work together to study the perception, processing and integration of complex social signals into behavior and decisions.

The HuCaB will offer usable space of around 3,500 square meters on five floors. Around 160 workstations as well as modern laboratory rooms, offices, communication zones and event areas are planned. The total financing of the project is expected to be 60 million euros, with most of the funds coming from the “Research Buildings” funding program of the federal and state governments of Lower Saxony. The state of Lower Saxony is providing 37.9 million euros, while the federal government is contributing 19 million euros. The University of Göttingen itself is investing around 3 million euros from its own funds.

Innovative research approaches

The research center will be particularly dedicated to the study of social behavior in groups, which represents an evolution from previous research on individuals. In order to meet this requirement, the center's equipment will be state-of-the-art. These include, among other things, a magnetoencephalograph for accurately recording brain activity and a high-performance computing cluster.

The construction work included moving 25,000 cubic meters of earth, setting 100 ground piles and processing 1,200 cubic meters of concrete for the floor slab. Sustainability aspects also play an important role; The planned measures include a space-saving construction, heating technology with a low flow temperature, ceiling heating surfaces and a green roof with a water collector for cooling.

The idea of ​​the HuCaB as a central contact point for interdisciplinary research fits into the dynamic German research landscape. Numerous research institutions are located in Germany, many of them at universities. These institutions make a crucial contribution to scientific excellence and innovation, as do the Göttingen University emphasized.

Completion of the research center is scheduled for the end of 2026. Those present at the topping-out ceremony, including state parliament member Frauke Heiligenstadt, ministerial director Rüdiger Eichel and mayor Petra Broistedt, acknowledged the importance of the project for the region and the research community.