“Viadrina” and Membrane Research : Germany

Viadrina University in Frankfurt an der Oder already existed between 1 506 and 1811. Heinrich von Kleist and the von Humboldt brothers studied there. In 1991 the institution was reopened as the European University Viadrina Frankfurt/Oder; it places special emphasis on Polish-German cooperation in teaching and research. But Brandenburg’s other universities in Cottbus and Potsdam as well as its five Fachhochschulen and 15 technology centers also make the region an important center of German research.

Since 1992 the GFZ Potsdam has been engaged in basic research on topics of global significance in the geosciences. The likewise unique Membrane Research Department of the GKSS Research Center in Teltow is devoted to the development of high-performance membranes for fields of application such as environmental engineering, materials salvage, recycling and medicine. The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research studies today’s climate changes as problems arising from a distorted relationship between mankind and nature. The Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, which took up its Work in March 1993, cultivates not only the natural, biological and social sciences but also the humanities.