Groundbreaking ceremony for new joint research facility of IFW Dresden and TU Dresden

Overview

On Wednesday, April 2, 2025, Prof. Bernd Büchner, Scientific Director of the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden  (IFW Dresden), Juliane Schmidt, Administrative Director of the IFW Dresden, Jan Gerken, Chancellor of TUD Dresden University of Technology, and Prof. Alexey Chernikov, a researcher at the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat - Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter at TUD and the University of Würzburg, celebrated the construction start of a new joint research building for quantum research with a groundbreaking ceremony. The building, which will house laboratory and office units, is being constructed on the corner of Nöthnitzer Str. and Helmholtz Str. The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by State Secretary Prof. Heike Graßmann (Saxon State Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism), Dresden's Lord Mayor Dirk Hilbert and Falk Reinhardt, Technical Director of Staatsbetrieb Sächsisches Immobilien- und Baumanagement (SIB), which manages public buildings in Saxony. Construction is expected to be completed by 2029. The construction costs incurred by the Free State of Saxony and the federal government amount to approximately EUR 70 million.

 

Juliane Schmidt, Administrative Director of the IFW Dresden:

“Today's groundbreaking ceremony marks the beginning of a forward-looking construction project that would not be possible without the close and productive collaboration with the Free State of Saxony, the City of Dresden, TU Dresden, and our dedicated project team. Together, we are creating a modern, practical and inviting work environment that will provide our researchers with optimal conditions for their work. I would like to thank everyone involved for their trust and support.”

 

Jan Gerken, Chancellor of TUD:
“With this joint research center, the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden and TUD are sending a clear signal of Dresden's standing as a top research location and, in particular, of the outstanding quality of quantum research in Saxony. At the same time, this project illustrates how we are working together to develop promising new construction models. The IFW Dresden is taking an innovative approach to the construction of this new research building by taking over the project management for the Free State of Saxony. In close collaboration with TUD, our partners in the Free State of Saxony and the City of Dresden, and as part of the DRESDEN-concept Science and Innovation Campus, we are laying the foundations for the excellent research infrastructure of tomorrow.”

 

Matthias Vojta, Chair of Theoretical Solid State Physics at TU Dresden and Dresden spokesperson of the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat:

“Cutting-edge research at ct.qmat in Dresden thrives on strong partnerships with non-university research institutions. We’re excited that the new research building will allow us to collaborate even more closely with the IFW. Our newly appointed professors will explore quantum phenomena and develop materials that could play a key role in future technologies. It’s sometimes in the stairwell or over a coffee break that ideas emerge which significantly advance our research”, says Matthias Vojta.

 

A joint research center for a dynamic research exchange

The new shared building, with laboratory and office space, will primarily serve as a center for quantum materials and research into new semiconductor technologies. TUD's Cluster of Excellence Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter (ct.qmat) and the IFW Dresden will thus be united under one roof. Shared labs and communication areas, as well as shorter distances between the two institutions, will foster even stronger interdisciplinary collaboration on common topics in the future. The new building complex will thus become the home of international cutting-edge research into quantum materials.

 

The new laboratory complex will have 5,100 square meters of floor space for laboratories and offices, as well as more than 3,000 square meters for technical space and thoroughfares. Some 150 employees will work here. An adjoining communal service yard with utility systems is planned to be connected to the main building.

 

This brand new research building was designed by the architectural firm AWB Architekten GmbH. The design is notable for its sustainable concept and efficient use of space amidst the dynamic research environment of the South Campus. To the south, the construction site on Nöthnitzer Str. borders on Südpark, an area that Dresden plans to develop as the site of the national garden show starting in 2033.  

 

The foundation stone for the new building will be laid next fall. The building is expected to be completed by mid-2029.