Research policy prioritises assuring the quality of research in Brandenburg in national and international competition, raising profiles to reinforce basic and applied research and to strengthen knowledge and technology transfer, and strategically expanding research alliances between universities, non-university research institutions and industry. The aim is to design the ideal general framework for promoting excellent research, to foster the creativity of early-career researchers and to integrate science into society.
Scientific excellence is the basis for translating research results into innovations and thus for the success of the structural change process in Lusatia. Science and research are key drivers of structural development and are growth engines in the region. In order to raise the potential of universities and research institutions for social, economic and demographic development, the coming decade will be dedicated to expanding university locations according to need, strengthening research, and establishing translational knowledge and transfer infrastructures in Lusatia.
The focus of the portfolio-specific Lusatia strategy is on expanding the university locations to include degree programmes that complement the profile and on establishing Lusatia as a model health region. Alongside this, innovative research projects in Lusatia, particularly in cooperation with non-university research institutions, are to be used, consolidated and strengthened for joint research and development work. In addition, knowledge and technology transfer for structural change in Lusatia will be expanded.
A key project in this context is the establishment of the Innovation Centre for University Medicine in Cottbus (IUC) as the heart of the model health region of Lusatia. Access to AI applications will also be made easier, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. This will be the responsibility of the Lausitz Centre for Artificial Intelligence, which draws together all the expertise around the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg. The goal is to make Berlin-Brandenburg one of the leading AI locations in Europe.
Science institutions make a key contribution as promoters and drivers of knowledge and technology transfer. As early as 2017, Brandenburg already adopted a translational strategy aimed at creating the best possible environment to boost knowledge and technology transfer over the long term within the collaborative efforts of science, business, politics and society. Apart from providing targeted support for companies, reinforcing collaborative partnerships is a key concern of the Joint Innovation Strategy of the Länder of Berlin and Brandenburg (innoBB 2025), and of the Regional Innovation Strategy (innoBB 2025 plus), which explicitly takes account of the particular economic structural features of Brandenburg as a non-city state (Flächenland). The aim is to support the different regions of the state in developing their economic and scientific potential. With this in mind, Brandenburg has formulated its own strategic approach to the structural change process in Lusatia.
Other key concerns are the recruitment and active promotion of emerging scientists and researchers, including through career opportunities for men and women and the creation of career paths in the postdoc sector, the expansion of family-friendly universities and research institutions in the state, and the active promotion of women in science and research.