In close collaboration with the state government, which I would like to thank here as well, and with Hasso Plattner and his foundation, we have succeeded in creating great new prospects for the University of Potsdam in only a few weeks: we are getting a new, fourth campus on the historic grounds on the Brauhausberg, in the heart of the state capital!
Close collaboration
Only a ten-minute walk from the central train station, a state-of-the-art science site will be built there in the coming years, one that will develop international appeal and enable completely new forms of scientific work and knowledge transfer, as well as new teaching and learning environments. The two large faculties currently located at Griebnitzsee – the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences – are to be relocated to the new campus. At the same time, the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI), and the Digital Engineering Faculty, which are jointly supported by the university and the HPI, will be significantly expanded and developed at the Griebnitzsee campus. But the natural sciences and humanities campus in Golm, as well as the Faculty of Arts at Neues Palais, will also benefit from Hasso Plattner’s generous donation. The proceeds that the state of Brandenburg will receive from the Hasso Plattner Foundation for the sale of the state-owned land at Griebnitzsee will be invested directly in the long-planned construction projects at these two university locations.
In addition, we will work together with the state government to accelerate appointments and reduce bureaucracy in science administration. Implementation will be coordinated by a task force in which the state of Brandenburg, the University of Potsdam, the Hasso Plattner Foundation, and the Hasso Plattner Institute will collaborate closely and in a spirit of trust. The aim is to create modern, efficient, and future-oriented research, teaching, and study conditions for the HPI and the University of Potsdam at all locations.
One-of-a-kind major donation
The basis of this truly extraordinary development is a letter of intent signed by the state of Brandenburg, the University of Potsdam, and the Hasso Plattner Foundation on June 2, 2025. A private donation of this magnitude to a university is unique in Europe! Even on a global scale, such large donations can be counted on the fingers of one hand. We greatly appreciate such commitment to the institution of the public university, especially in these difficult political times.
Since the founding of the Hasso Plattner Institute in 1998, the University and the HPI have enjoyed a close and successful collaboration, which was expanded and consolidated with the founding of the jointly supported Digital Engineering Faculty in 2017. The Digital Engineering Faculty – already a globally unique form of public-private partnership at the time – has established itself excellently not only as a model, but also as a center of computer science research and teaching. Now it will develop into a globally visible hub of cutting-edge research in AI and computer science. “Together, we are sending a clear signal for education, openness, and sustainability,” Hasso Plattner said, noting that Europe needs places where talents from all over the world can think, research, and shape the future freely. Potsdam will be such a place. I look forward to working together on this great project.
This text was published in the university magazine Portal - Zwei 2025 „Demokratie“. (in German)
Here You can find all articles in English at a glance: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/explore-the-up/up-to-date/university-magazine/portal-two-2025-democracy