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Göttingen receives innovative research building for sustainable agricultural research!
The University of Göttingen is planning the “AgriFutur” research building to promote interdisciplinary agricultural research, with construction starting in 2026.
Göttingen receives innovative research building for sustainable agricultural research!
On May 12, 2025, the Science Council of the University of Göttingen made a groundbreaking recommendation: The planned “AgriFutur” research building is recommended for funding with a rating of “very good to outstanding”. This decision represents a significant step in the advancement of agricultural research and highlights the urgency of finding innovative solutions to the challenges facing the global agricultural and food system. The project will be finally approved in July 2025 by the Joint Federal and State Science Conference (GWK).
The new building will be adjacent to the existing research buildings on the north campus of the University of Göttingen and will provide usable space of over 2,000 square meters. Interdisciplinary working groups work on topics from the areas of animal and plant production as well as economics and social sciences. Prof. Dr. Bernhard Brümmer, Vice President for Research and Sustainability, emphasizes that the project offers the opportunity to view agricultural research as an integrative system and to break down disciplinary boundaries.
Challenges of climate change
A fundamental challenge that the project addresses is climate change. This represents an existential threat not only for agriculture in Germany, but also for small farmers in developing countries. Given current, often not environmentally friendly and socially just food and production systems, a comprehensive transformation of agricultural and food systems is necessary. Various international research programs such as the global research partnership CGIAR play a crucial role here.
The mission of CGIAR and its partners is to develop practical solutions to the problems caused by climate change. Based on these goals, the “AgriFutur” project also aims to promote innovative approaches in agricultural research. In particular, the research focus will be on climate adaptation, environmental health and social justice.
Regenerative agriculture in focus
In addition to current research on climate adaptation strategies, many farmers are turning to regenerative farming methods to address the effects of climate change. These methods, which include reduced tillage, maximum soil cover and intensive intercropping, have proven effective in sustainably increasing soil carbon levels and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The University of Kassel is investigating the effects of these cultivation methods on water retention and climate-friendly effects as part of precise experiments and on-farm studies. The results of these studies are something that both farmers and scientists should put at the heart of their engagement.
The planned “AgriFutur” building will not only have modern, air-conditioned experimental laboratories and rooms for virtual environments, but will also integrate innovative experimental kitchens. This equipment will make it possible to combine practical approaches and interdisciplinary research.
Costing around 58 million euros, construction is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2026 and be completed by the end of 2029, “AgriFutur” is not just a building, but a sign of the future of agricultural research. The Science Council's recommendation and the plans that go beyond it are an expression of a profound change in the scientific discussion of questions of food security and climate change.