Potsdam Science Park – Expansion of the Innovation Location 2023-2026

The Potsdam Science Park is expanding. By the middle of 2022, the science and business location could record the largest demand to date in its 30-year history. The development an planning of further construction projects is in full swing. Over 78,000 m² of new office and laboratory space for more than 1,000 employees will be created on site in Potsdam-Golm in the next few years. More than 12,500 people are already researching, working and studying at the Potsdam Science Park with the main sectors for new companies being biotechnology, life sciences and new materials, as well as numerous other scientific disciplines. Here, we present the next upcoming construction projects in the Potsdam Science Park.

DiGOS – a company that uses laser pulses to explore space is planning a building on the Technology Campus.

DiGOS was only founded in 2014, but has already had some notable successes since then. In 2018, the company implemented projects for the European Space Agency (ESA) and installed a first turnkey laser station on Tenerife in mid-2021. Around 425 people work for the company today, with a focus on Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) – a technology that allows the positions of satellites to be recorded with millimetre precision, even 20,000 kilometres away.

Only a few companies in the world are able to do this. With its success, the company’s need for new premises has also grown. That is why the DiGOS now wants to move its headquarters to the Potsdam Science Park. In the next few years, a separate three-storey building is to be constructed here on the new site of the Technology Campus. According to Managing Director André Kloth, there will then be enough space for 50 to 60 employees on 1,000 square metres of office space. But the building should offer even more: "We also need an integration and test hall for our high-tech equipment. We want to have enough space to pre-integrate entire laser stations and install them on the roof for a preliminary inspection," says Managing Director Kloth.

In 2023, the company wants to start planning and submit the building application in summer 2023 at the earliest, and move in around 2026. The Potsdam Science Park as future location was chosen for a number of reasons: "The connections to Berlin and the surrounding area are fantastic," explains Managing Director André Kloth. "We have the University of Potsdam on site with the institutes for astronomy, physics, computer science and geosciences. So it is of course a great advantage for us to use the academic potential for joint projects or the promotion of young scientists."

QUADRATUM POTSDAM – ensemble of four buildings with high sustainability standards

Back in 2018, real estate investor DETLEF HEGEMANN Immobilien Management GmbH acquired a plot of land near the Golm railway station on the west side of the Potsdam Science Park. QUADRATUM POTSDAM , an ensemble of four buildings is planned here, next to the new innovation centres. In the first construction phase, two buildings are to be built initially. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2023 and is expected to take two and a half years. Approximately 11,000 square metres of space will then be available for offices and laboratories. The start of construction for the other two buildings is planned for the following year, depending on the users.

DETLEF HEGEMANN Immobilien Management GmbH is focusing on user-centred interior design: "The laboratory fit-out will be carried out in close consultation with the interested parties," says project manager Anne Helbig. The topic of sustainability is particularly important for the project: "Sustainable materials should be taken into account in the context of the corresponding development. There should be lots of green spaces, a nice roof terrace – in short, a place to feel good," Helbig explains. She feels that the Potsdam Science Park is an ideal location for the building ensemble: "A lot has happened in recent years. New buildings and institutes have been added. The location is very promising, especially because the topic of life sciences has gained a lot of importance," says the project manager.

TECHNOOGY CAMPUS – HEGEMANN-REINERS Group plans space for companies from the fields of technology, research and production.

Opposite the Brandenburg Main State Archive, on the other side of the railway, the approximately ten-hectare TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS is currently under construction. In the first quarter of 2020, the municipal ProPotsdam GmbH opened the concept award procedure for the commercial space. With success: many companies have already secured the first plots for their new buildings. One of them is the HEGEMANN-REINERS Group, which wants to create around 47,000 m² of gross floor space with approx. 35,000 m² of usable space for companies from the technology and research sector on a 20,000 square metre site over the next few years (press release). Companies from other sectors such as IT and production may also be considered. The 5,500 m² neighbourhood car park will also find its place here.

The first buildings are expected to be occupied in 2026. The group of companies plans to invest over 100 million euros in the area. The master plan for the area, which has already been prepared by the project developer, is currently being coordinated with ProPotsdam GmbH. "It is a rough diamond that we are putting the finishing touches to here in Potsdam-Golm for future user groups," says Jörg Bollmann, Managing Director of DHI. "We are paying particular attention to high energy efficiency and a user-friendly atmosphere in our planning. This includes, among other things, intensive greening as well as roof terrace use under ecological aspects. We are also taking the issue of sustainability into account with the use of ecological building materials and are striving for a Certification of sustainability (DGNB) for the site."

InnoLab – "gateway" and imposing building with flexible office space

According to the development company homepoint, InnoLab is to be nothing less than the "entrance gate to the Potsdam Science Park". And indeed, with its crystalline structures in the façade, the InnoLab makes a strong statement within the Potsdam Science Park. Located directly at the Potsdam Golm railway station, according to the latest drafts, office and laboratory space of up to 12,500 square metres will be created here. First occupancy is planned for the fourth quarter of 2024. The design of the premises is based entirely on the wishes of the tenants. Several floors can be rented, and at the same time there will be space for coworking spaces to ensure the necessary flexibility. In terms of the complexity of the laboratories, everything is possible from standard levels to complex laboratory wings.

Christian Piper, Chief Operating Officer of the homepoint Group: "The Potsdam Science Park is an incredibly dynamic location. It is very exciting what is being created here. We want to be part of it with the InnoLab and set new impulses. It is important to us that we are not only a workplace, but also a meeting place. With the special location in the Potsdam Science Park and the unique design, we want to appeal above all to the international public." Oliver Riebartsch, managing partner of the Satori Group, adds: "We are currently experiencing a boom in the life science sector. We are currently in advanced talks with a leading international asset management company whose global network of renowned innovation drivers in the life science and medical technology sectors will further boost the growth of the location. "

iQ space Potsdam – innovative research and office space for life science companies

True to the motto "Empowering Science", iQ spaces is planning innovative rental space for science and life science companies. The new construction project iQ space Potsdam on the TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS of the Potsdam Science Park is intended to set new standards in the field of modern and flexible laboratory and office space: specially planned and professionally managed research, laboratory and office space is intended to offer tenants such as research companies and start-ups perfect working conditions, maximum functionality and a synergetic working environment.

Thanks to its good connections and proximity to the university and science, the Potsdam Science Park offers the ideal conditions for this, explains Moritz Fischer, project manager at iQ spaces. Modern and flexible floor plans for laboratories and offices are currently being planned for a total of 10,000 square metres, which will be ready for occupancy by the fourth quarter of 2024. The company is already in concrete talks with potential tenants. Rental units from 300 m² are to be created. "Our concept combines efficient technology and safety in the laboratory with modern new work environments," says Moritz Fischer. In addition, the focus was on high visibility on campus, and the generous communication areas in the building itself are also intended to serve as an additional means of exchange. "Researchers of today and tomorrow want to work in an inspiring working environment," believes Moritz Fischer.

About the Potsdam Science Park

The Potsdam Science Park is one of the largest science locations in the Berlin-Brandenburg capital region with a growing ecosystem for science-related business. Here, top international research, university education and research-oriented start-ups and companies combine to form an excellent community. On a total of 60 hectares, this innovation location is home to two Fraunhofer Institutes, three Max Planck Institutes, the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and the Faculty of Human Sciences of the University of Potsdam, the Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, the Brandenburg Main State Archive and a growing number of start-ups and companies in the new office and laboratory buildings and on the new Technology Campus. Networking and mutual exchange between renowned research institutions and innovative companies are the main focus at the Potsdam Science Park. Over the next ten years, 100 small and medium-sized enterprises and one anchor company are expected to settle in the Potsdam Science Park, creating about 1000 new jobs.

The projects of the Location Management (Standortmanagement Golm GmbH) in the Potsdam Science Park are co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund ERDF and funds from the federal state of Brandenburg.