Agricultural research of the future with Kassel participation

Brandenburg's Science Minister Dr. Manja Schüle: "In times when science and research are coming under increasing pressure, it is a good and important signal when two federal states join forces to achieve more together. And after long periods of benevolent support from western federal states, I am grateful that we can now give something back and that Hesse can benefit from our excellence and expertise in agricultural research. Because when it comes to the agriculture of the future, there is no way around the Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research. I am delighted that the potential of this research facility is now also being recognized outside Brandenburg - and that there is a clear commitment from the federal government and the community of states to sustainable and future-oriented agricultural research. The charm of the new Innovation Center for Agricultural System Transformation is obvious: instead of working in an ivory tower, solutions to issues of food security, climate change and sustainability are developed in real laboratories with farmers and other agricultural stakeholders - together, concretely and practically. This is what agricultural research of the future will look like, in future made in Brandenburg and Hesse."

Hesse's Science Minister Timon Gremmels: "With this administrative agreement, Hesse and Brandenburg are sending a clear signal of how effective cross-border cooperation can be. The Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research in Brandenburg and the Hessian partners - Justus Liebig University Giessen, the University of Kassel and Geisenheim University - are pooling expertise that is particularly important for the future of agriculture. Giessen contributes expertise in integrated plant, animal and agricultural systems, Kassel in the fields of organic farming and multifunctional arable and grassland systems and Geisenheim in sustainable viticulture and special crops. Together they implement the instrument of real laboratories in the field of agricultural sciences: The new Innovation Center for Agricultural System Transformation offers the opportunity to work directly on site with experienced partners from the field. The close cooperation with Brandenburg strengthens research, rural regions and an agriculture that will remain reliable and competitive in the future."

The Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) is planning to use the additional funding from the federal and state governments to establish the Innovation Center for Agricultural System Transformation (IAT). As part of the new permanent institution, ZALF will strengthen its cooperation with Justus Liebig University Giessen, the University of Kassel and Geisenheim University in the field of practice-oriented agricultural research. To this end, five regional real-world laboratories and nine research groups with around 70 employees are to be set up in Brandenburg and Hesse from 2026. The real-world laboratories will work on particularly important regional issues relating to land use and regional value creation, such as mixed crop cultivation on poor soils in Brandenburg or promising viticulture in Hesse. The research questions are developed from the outset in cooperation with local stakeholders from practice, politics and society, and solutions are jointly tested and reflected upon. The state of Brandenburg, together with the federal and state governments, is funding ZALF with around 24.6 million euros this year.