Lower Saxony is investing over 1.3 billion euros in research and teaching!

Lower Saxony is investing over 1.3 billion euros in research and teaching!

A lot is happening in the field of science in Lower Saxony! The state parliament has decided to invest more than 1.3 billion euros in the modernization of university hospitals, universities and research institutions by 2031. This was announced by Science Minister Falko Mohrs (SPD), who presented the financial resources as part of the 2026 draft budget and from the federal government's special infrastructure and climate neutrality fund. Even if the renovation backlog cannot be resolved overnight, these investments are intended to be a decisive step in the right direction. According to Ärzteblatt this initiative represents a great opportunity to significantly improve the scientific infrastructure in Lower Saxony improve.

What is the focus? The focus is particularly on the medical locations of Hanover and Göttingen. Over 850 million euros will flow into new construction projects there by 2031. The University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) will receive around 480 million euros to build a modern diagnostics and research center as well as a new teaching building. The Hannover Medical School (MHH) is being supported with around 370 million euros to build a parent-child center and a research building. Furthermore, 500 million euros were planned for structural modernization at other university locations, as reported by [ndr.de](https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/niedersachsen/niedersachsen-investiert-ueber-13-milliarden-euro-in- Wissenschaft,Investmenten-108.html).

Additional investments and immediate measures

An important measure that is also being launched are emergency measures with a budget of 50 million euros. This includes, among other things, the renovation of the Audimax at the University of Hildesheim. Also interesting is the support for non-university research institutions, which receives a total of 20 million euros - from which the German Primate Center (DPZ) in Göttingen particularly benefits. There is an additional 1.2 million euros for the renewal of an MRI machine. This shows that a lot of money is also being invested in research so that Lower Saxony remains highly popular as a location.

However, the investments do not end with the medical locations. Around 95 million euros are planned for the education and research location of Lower Saxony by 2028 to expand the number of medical study places at the University of Oldenburg, which should increase from 120 to 200 places. In addition to strengthening higher education, 55.3 million euros will also flow into research and teaching as well as 39 million euros as cost reimbursement to participating hospitals, such as the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture reported.

Looking into the future

Another important point is the funding for large-scale technical equipment and the improvement of the IT infrastructure, which are urgently needed to optimize research and medical care. There are also no savings in tariff increases at universities: 116.7 million euros are available here. Support for regional research institutions, such as the Institute for Solar Energy Research (ISFH) in Emmerthal, should also not be forgotten; Here the basic funding is to be increased by one million euros.

All of these activities clearly show that Lower Saxony has a good knack for positioning itself as a leading science location. It remains exciting to see how these investments will impact research and teaching in the coming years. The course is set and the expectations are high – for science and universities in the country.