Prime Minister Lies visits the new research greenhouse in Göttingen

Prime Minister Lies visits the new research greenhouse in Göttingen

On August 21, 2025, Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Olaf Lies visited the University and University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) to find out about current developments in research and the associated future projects. This invitation came from University President Prof. Dr. Axel Schölmerich.

The visit included, among other things, the new UMG building field and the Faculty of Chemistry, which has been extensively renovated since 2012 in order to meet modern requirements for laboratory supplies and energy efficiency. A focus of the tour was the new research greenhouse of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences on the north campus, which was inaugurated in early 2025. It is focused on researching crop science in the context of climate change.

Innovative research conditions

The research greenhouse represents an important infrastructure that has an investment volume of over 15 million euros. Covering a total area of ​​2,400 square meters, it offers sophisticated technologies for precise regulation of temperature, humidity and CO2 concentration in four separate compartments. This allows scientists to simulate scenarios such as heat waves and drought and study the responses of plants and soils under extreme environmental conditions, such as das-wissen.de reported.

In addition to the existing research facility, an expansion is planned to include two more greenhouses, which will have similar equipment. A special feature of the greenhouse is the use of waste heat from the neighboring GWDG data center, which makes its operation particularly energy efficient.

Advances in the health sector

During the visit, Lies also found out about the planned new research building AgriFutur as well as the collaborative research projects such as AgriChange and the Future of Food in Lower Saxony (ZERN). Another central topic was the construction of the new NIKO building, which is scheduled to be completed by 2029 and put into clinical operation in 2030. NIKO will bundle almost all of UMG's health care under modern conditions. Prime Minister Lies described this new building as a decisive step for healthcare in Lower Saxony.

As part of the extensive construction work at the UMG, the second construction phase of the new ELKI (Parent-Child Center) building project is also being planned. The groundbreaking ceremony for this is scheduled for the beginning of 2027, with an investment volume of 297 million euros. ELKI will include medical care for children and mothers as well as obstetric care. Future investments are also secured, as the state of Lower Saxony plans to provide a further 480 million euros for UMG by 2031 in order to advance the fourth construction phase of the campus redesign.

A further 136.1 million euros are planned for the final work on the construction projects. These financial resources demonstrate the commitment of the state of Lower Saxony to improving the education and health infrastructure in the region.

Parallel to the developments at the University of Göttingen, the importance of climatic adaptation measures in urban areas is also being discussed. In an interactive neighborhood walk around Erfurtplatz, citizens discuss climate justice and the adaptation of urban spaces to the challenges of climate change. Such initiatives are part of a broader discourse on local climate adaptation and the promotion of green infrastructure, such as zkfn.de is highlighted.