Federal politicians visit Science City Hamburg-BahrenfeldExcellent Research Attracts Visitors from Berlin

31 August 2022, by Newsroom editorial office

Photo: DESY/Mayer

Visitors from Berlin at Science City Hamburg-Bahrenfeld: Kai Gehring (below, third from right) with the University’s president Hauke Heekeren (below, second from right) and the chair of DESY’s board of directors, Prof. Dr. Helmut Dosch (below, right)

Kai Gehring, chair of the committee for education, research, and technological impact for the Bundestag, and other committee members visited Science City Hamburg-Bahrenfeld. The University’s president, Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren, and the chair of DESY’s board of directors, Prof. Dr. Helmut Dosch, greeted the group. Hamburg’s science senator Katharina Fegebank and the Hamburg Parliament member Sven Tode also took part.

At the Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), an interdisciplinary center with partners from various universities and research institutions, Kai Gehring, Laura Kraft, and Peter Heidt were able to gain an overview of the development of the location and the research conducted there. “Four of our five core research areas are anchored here in Bahrenfeld,” explained Prof. Dr. Heekeren, pointing out the importance of the upcoming research location for Universität Hamburg. With the planned move to the site by the Departments of Chemistry and Biology, the district will also see a more mixed population, including a higher number of students.

In the afternoon, politicians will see PETRA III, one of the world’s brightest collider-based X-Ray sources, run by DESY.

Gehring remarked that in the past, he knew Hamburg mainly as a port city. “In the meantime, however, Hamburg has long become one of the republic’s most important research hubs. Here, excellent infrastructure is used by outstanding researchers to solve important questions of the future. We want to continue to support the development of this site, at both state and federal levels, as well as possible,” said Gehring at the end of the visit.

The committee for education, research, and technological impact advises the Bundestag on long-term policy decisions in research and education, for example, on the funding of research sites or technology policy matters.