The University of Potsdam and the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) are expanded with a three-digit millions of the Hasso Plattner Foundation. That have the SAP-Founder Hasso Plattner (81), Brandenburg’s Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD, 61) and the President of the University, Oliver Günther (63), announced on Monday. “There has never been such a grant to a university in Europe,” said Günther. A corresponding declaration of intent was signed in Potsdam.
“Historical opportunity for Europe”
Plattner, with an estimated assets of 16.9 billion euros Among the eleven richest Germans
, expressly established a connection of his commitment to the development of the science landscape in the United States. At the HPI there is now a first professor for artificial intelligence coming from Harvard: the scientist Ariel Dora Stern (42). “We have a historical opportunity to catch up in the next three and a half years.” Now you want to guide more AI professors to Potsdam, the hope is. He was “completely optimistic” for Europe that the continent in AI development has not yet China and the USA is left behind.
Plattner practiced sharp criticism of US President Donald Trump (78) and his dealings with the universities. “What my contacts in America tell me is simple and simply terrible.” He hears this from elite universities such as Princeton, Stanford and Harvard. The conflict between the educational institutions and the Trump government has been ongoing for months. Trump is increasingly putting pressure to bring the universities politically to line.
New campus on historical terrain
In addition to the expansion of the HPI, Plattner wants to renovate the dilapidated earlier state parliament on the Brauhausberg above the city center and make new buildings to the fourth campus of the University of Potsdam. The departments of law and social sciences should then move from the Griebnitzsee campus – and with them up to 6000 students.
The Brandenburg state parliament met on the Brauhausberg until 2013. In the GDR, the farm, which was visible from afar, housed the SED district and district management. It therefore got the nickname “Kremlin”. It has been empty for many years. In August 2023, a large fire broke out in the listed building, the roof structure collapsed. Again and again there were damage on the site due to vandalism.
Plattner has long been active as patron for science and art. The Hasso Plattner Foundation he donated financed, among other things, the reconstruction of the Palais Barberini, a classicist-baroque community center in Potsdam, opened the Barberini Museum in 2017. The opening of the Minsk Kunsthaus, also financed by Plattner, followed in 2022.
Plattner is not the only German billionaire who uses his assets for art and science. The founded in Munich BMW-Herbin Susanne Klatten (63) The Entrepreneurship GmbH, with which she operates start-up funding and innovation advice. The Lidl-Founder Dieter black (85), who is also the richest German, has initially renowned universities and research institutions such as a branch of the TU Munich and the Fraunhofer Institute in recent years. In the meantime, he is working on creating a stronghold for artificial intelligence there
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Plattner expressly praised Klatten and Schwarz on Monday and described it as a “civil duty” to provide money for science