There is no doubt about it: the greenhouse facilities in the IPK’s Genetics Department are showing their age, both structurally and technically. Saxony-Anhalt’s Minister for Science, Armin Willingmann, saw this for himself today during a brief tour. This makes it all the more important that 22.5 million euros are now available to build a new greenhouse complex with adjacent functional areas and to upgrade energy efficiency.

The funding for the IPK’s largest investment in recent years comes from the federal-state agreement on the ‘modernisation and refurbishment of the structural and technical infrastructure of universities and scientific institutions’. Saxony-Anhalt is receiving a total of 104 million euros. The project at the IPK - for which Armin Willingmann presented the grant notification during his visit today - is thus being given extremely high priority.

“This project is an investment in the long-term viability of the Gatersleben site, as it will enable us to maintain a high standard of research, provide us with greater opportunities and capacity to secure research funding, and ultimately safeguard our role as a major regional employer,” Nicolaus von Wirén, Managing Director of the IPK explained. “The funding approval not only allows us to equip a research greenhouse complex to the latest technical standards, but also to redesign the central cooling system for the entire campus, which will enable us to significantly reduce operating expenses.”

Armin Willingmann also placed this latest investment in the context of the broader significance of the IPK’s research work. “Climate change is continuing here in Saxony-Anhalt too, and is bringing with it new challenges for our agriculture,” said the Minister. “Longer dry spells, rising temperatures and further extreme weather events can jeopardise harvests.” This makes it even more important to understand which plants will be able to cope with future conditions. Willingmann is therefore committed to cutting-edge agricultural research at the IPK: “With its Genebank and internationally renowned expertise, the IPK Leibniz Institute is ideally placed to make a significant contribution to more climate-resilient agriculture. That is why the multi-million funding that the IPK is now receiving is money very well spent.” Willingmann also praised the long tradition of scientific research at the Gatersleben site. “For decades, this site has demonstrated what science thrives on: international exchange.”

The core of the project involves the construction of 2,000 square metres of new greenhouse space. But that is not all. “With this funding, we are also starting to set up a central cooling network for the entire institute,” said Ingmar Schmidt, Administrative Director of the IPK. Over the coming years, three central pipelines are to be laid to the Genetics building, the Friedrich Miescher Building and the Vavilov Building. “The existing, decentralised refrigeration systems date from between 2000 and 2005 and will soon reach the end of their operational life,” said Ingmar Schmidt. Furthermore, the current refrigerants can only be used until 2050, but are already being phased out of the market and are therefore becoming increasingly expensive. “We had already commissioned a feasibility study on the construction of a cooling network, which estimated costs at 4.2 million euros.” And now, of course, we are delighted that we can take the first step thanks to this funding.”

The project timetable has already been finalised. The call for tenders for project management has been published. Contracts are due to be awarded to the consultants and specialist planners in December 2026, and the demolition of the existing greenhouses and the renewal of the entire utilities infrastructure, including electrical and refrigeration systems, are set to begin in mid-2028. “The major challenge is that all construction work must be completed by the end of 2029,” said the Administrative Director. What else is included, apart from the greenhouses, the refurbishment of the utility infrastructure, depends on the progress of the building work, as well as on how costs develop. “If everything goes according to plan, we in the Genetics Department intend to replace the old phenotyping facilities.” The current budget has earmarked three million euros for this.

However, Nicolaus von Wirén is already looking further ahead. The two key questions, he says, are: What should the IPK look like by 2030? In what direction should it develop in the period after that? There are already ideas on this too. “In 2032, we want to submit a proposal for a new Cluster of Excellence in collaboration with Martin Luther University Halle,” said the Managing Director. To achieve this, it is important to establish the research infrastructure in the region early on. This includes, among other things, modernising the Genebank and refurbishing the Genome Centre for future use. As for the application itself, Nicolaus von Wirén is confident. “We have been part of the CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence since 2025 and are proving that we can do it.”