Path cleared for construction research center in Weimar and Bautzen

After a lengthy delay, the contract to establish a federal research center for climate-neutral and resource-efficient construction in Thuringia and Saxony has been signed in Berlin. According to the Thuringian Ministry of Science, State Secretary for Science Steffen Teichert signed the corresponding contract for the Free State.

This means that the long-planned research facilities with locations in Weimar and Bautzen will now be established after a slight delay. The establishment of the federal facility in eastern Germany, which was decided during the term of office of the then traffic light coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP, had initially stalled after the premature end of the government. The federal budget was put on hold due to the early federal elections. In the spring, the current Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD), in his role as the Federal Government's Commissioner for Eastern Germany at the time, once again campaigned for the multi-million euro project.

"The establishment of the Federal Research Center is a strategic success for Thuringia," said Minister President Mario Voigt (CDU). It makes a "decisive contribution to strengthening eastern Germany as a research and future location".

Pilot research projects from next year

For the development years 2026 to 2028, 52.5 million euros have been earmarked in the federal budget, the ministry added. Thuringia is also providing additional funding in the form of infrastructure or personnel. It is now planned to establish a registered association next year, with the federal government and the three founding states as equal members.

There should also be "pilot research projects" from the beginning of 2026, it added. The cooperation partners in Thuringia include the Bauhaus University Weimar, the business-oriented Institut für Angewandte Bauforschung (IAB) gGmbH and the Materialforschungs- und Prüfanstalt (MFPA) Weimar.

The Federal Research Center for Construction is not the only project of the former traffic light government from which Thuringia should benefit: At the beginning of October, it was announced that the German Agency for Transfer and Innovation (Dati) would not be coming to Erfurt as planned. According to a concept from 2024, around 96.82 million euros had been earmarked for personnel and material costs up to and including 2029.