Institutes

Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research

Polymers are an integral part of life. As the main constituents of plastics we encounter them in the home, in the automotive and aerospace industries and in medical and electrical engineering.

Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses IZI-BB

The Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses Branch of the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology focusses on the development of platform technologies and biotechnological applications in agriculture, food safety and environmental testing as well as drug development and diagnostics. To provide flexible and easy-to use devices or solutions the key aspects of activities encompass complex sample preparations, data collection, miniaturization and automation.

German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE)

The mission of the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE) is to conduct experimental and clinical research in the field of nutrition and health. Scientists at the DIfE pursue these scientific goals by interdisciplinary cooperation comprising a broad spectrum of experimental, medical and epidemiological methods.

Therefore the researchers focus on three areas:

Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Digital Engineering gGmbH

The Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) is one of a kind on the German university landscape: It is the only institute offering a degree in IT Systems Engineering – a hands-on alternative to conventional computer science programs. HPI’s School of Design Thinking offers students from all branches of study an innovative, supplementary program in the creative development of particularly user-friendly products and services. Via its Internet-educational platform, openHPI, HPI offers anyone interested from anywhere in the world free, open online courses on information technology.

Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History Potsdam e.V.

Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History Potsdam

Directors: Prof. Dr. Frank Bösch, Prof. Dr. Martin Sabrow

The Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History Potsdam (Leibniz-Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung Potsdam – ZZF) is a research institute for German and European contemporary history in the 20th century and its impact on the present. As a member of the Leibniz Association, half of its basic endowment is funded by the Federal Government and half by the states. In addition, the institute raises third-party funds for research projects.

Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP)

The key areas of research at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) are cosmic magnetic fields and extragalactic astrophysics. A considerable part of the institute's efforts aim at the development of research technology in the fields of spectroscopy, robotic telescopes, and e-science. The AIP is the successor of the Berlin Observatory founded in 1700 and of the Astrophysical Observatory of Potsdam founded in 1874. The latter was the world's first observatory to emphasize explicitly the research area of astrophysics.

Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces

The institute was founded in 1992 as one of the first Max Planck Institutes in East Germany and soon became one of the leading research institutions worldwide.

Colloid and interface science deals with very small structures within the nano- and micrometer range. On the one hand this domain represents a “world of hidden dimensions”, on the other hand these tiny structures define the properties of materials and biosystems on the mesoscopic and macroscopic level.

Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie (MPI-MP)

Founded in 1994, the MPI for Molecular Plant Physiology in Golm conducts basic research and has already made an international name for itself as a cutting-edge research institute in the field of metabolic processes in plants. The three directors Ralph Bock, Mark Stitt and Lothar Willmitzer currently head 25 working groups, led by junior researchers. Overall, the institute employs about 400 people.

Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS)

The Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) conducts research with the aim of investigating, identifying, and advancing development pathways for transformation processes towards sustainability in Germany and abroad. The institute was founded in 2009 as the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) and has been affiliated with the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam - GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences under its new name since 1 January 2023.