Construction work on the Forum Wissenschaftsreflexion research building of Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) began in spring 2023. The foundation stone for the new building in the northern part of Hannover has now been officially laid. Today, Falko Mohrs (Minister of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony), Prof. Dr. Volker Epping (President of LUH), the future users of the research building, the responsible architects, members of the LUH Buildings Management department as well as guests laid the foundation stone including a time capsule on the construction site.
The new building will adjoin LUH's existing building at Im Moore 21. Interior construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2024. The research building is expected to be completed in September 2025. The costs will amount to approximately 19.3 million euros, of which the state will contribute almost twelve million euros, including around 9.6 million euros from the "zukunft.niedersachsen" programme; the federal government will contribute approximately 7.3 million euros. The initial cost was estimated at 14.7 million euros, half of which was to be borne by the federal government and the other half by the state. As costs have risen significantly due to the enormous increase in construction prices in recent years, the Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony has agreed to cover the additional costs.
“By initiating this project, we have successfully created an infrastructure that does justice to the overall social dimension of science and higher education. In cooperation with the federal government, we as a state are making an important contribution to creating a research building that is unique in Germany and offers ideal conditions for developing new ideas in higher education research and science studies, while pooling expertise", said Falko Mohrs, Minister of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony. “I am convinced that Leibniz University Hannover will generate significant momentum for research in Lower Saxony, thus further expanding its relevance in international research while strengthening Lower Saxony as a science location."
“I am delighted that we are one of the few universities in Germany, and the only university in the TU9 alliance, that will soon have a research building dedicated to the humanities and social sciences. This emphasises that LUH not only focuses on engineering and natural sciences, but also has a highly visible research focus in the humanities and social sciences through interdisciplinary studies of science. We have been working systematically on this over the past 10 to 15 years, and we owe this success to our researchers”, emphasised Prof. Dr. Volker Epping, President of LUH.
The spokesperson of the Forum Wissenschaftsreflexion, Prof. Dr. Eva Barlösius (Institute of Sociology and LCSS), explained: “LUH conducts unique projects in the field of interdisciplinary studies of science. We systematically bring together research from the various disciplines involved and have established specific and unique structures for promoting young talent during their studies. We are delighted that the new building will enable us to advance our research even further in the future.” Gerhard Wolf (Michel+Wolf Architekten, Stuttgart) explained the construction details. The new building will provide over 2,100 square metres of floor space for interdisciplinary research, a knowledge workshop with innovative research infrastructure, as well as meeting and event venues for scientific conferences. In terms of sustainability, it will be certified according to the criteria of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB).
No other university in Germany has a comparable number of professorships in higher education research and science studies – LUH has 20. The disciplines philosophy, sociology, economics, political science and law are involved. The new research building will bring together researchers previously based at various locations across campus.
The following research groups will move into the new building:
- the Institute of Philosophy with the DFG research group "SOCRATES" (Social Credibility and Trustworthiness of Expert Knowledge and Science-Based Information),
- the research group “Soziologische Wissenschafts- und Hochschulforschung” of the Institute of Sociology,
- the Centre for Ethics and Law in the Life Sciences (CELLS),
- the LCSS graduate school “Science and Society”,
- the interdisciplinary research centre Leibniz Center for Science and Society (LCSS),
- the DZHW research centre (German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies), as well as
- the TIB junior research group “Knowledge Infrastructures”.
Note to editors:
For further information, please contact Mechtild Freiin v. Münchhausen, head of Communications and Marketing and spokesperson of Leibniz University Hannover (Tel. 0177 3734026, Email kommunikation@uni-hannover.de).
