Business & Science

Science City Magdeburg

From brain research, technical systems, natural sciences and water research to biometrics – Magdeburg’s science and research landscape is one of the most versatile in Germany offering enormous potential for development.
Science City Magdeburg

The capital city Magdeburg has developed an extraordinary and supra-regional competitive university and research landscape. The number of students at the Otto von Guericke University and the University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal increases from year to year. At the moment more than 17,000 students pursue their studies in the city. Magdeburg is also home to a large variety of scientific institutions: As many as 100 research institutions, from institutes and associated institutes to research companies, are located here with the prestigious Fraunhofer, Max Planck and Leibniz institutes included among them.

The structural change of the capital city is recognisable in many places. The old commercial port is currently being transformed into a vibrant “port of science” promising to become a centre for innovation and knowledge transfer. In 2006, the innovative Virtual Development and Training Centre (VDTC) was set up in this location. Other sectors showing tremendous potential for the future such as medical engineering, logistics and environmental protection have also settled in Magdeburg. International and German market leaders, among them the wind turbine manufacturer ENERCON as well as the helmet manufacturer Schuberth Head Protection Technology, produce in Magdeburg. Moreover, the city offers ideal conditions for the prospering health management sector where the Medical School of the Otto von Guericke University is one of the most prestigious in Germany. Many study programmes that are related to or complement the medical sector are offered at the Otto von Guericke University and the University of Applied Sciences. Some of the university achievements to date have value and potential far beyond the confines of Magdeburg. For instance, the development of a new fluidised-bed technique for coffee roasting, an internet database for the documentation of lost cultural property or an employment model to reduce mass unemployment in Germany are internationally renowned. Well-established research institutions form an important basis from which Magdeburg continues to flourish as a centre of science and research. However, many more scientific institutions must be taken into consideration when rating the diversity, the ability for innovation and the ambitious research activities of the city.

The excellent network established between Magdeburg’s science community and other parts of society also deserves a special mention. The municipal museum, for example, has won international recognition for its competent research work carried out on the Early Middle Ages. It was with good reason that it was decided to hold the European Council exhibition “The Holy Roman Empire“ in Magdeburg in August 2006.