HALLE, CENTRE OF SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

The region Central Germany (consisting of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia) developed during the past five years into the region with the highest density of photovoltaic enterprises in the whole of Europe. In 2006, 80 percent of all solar cells manufactured in Germany were produced in this region. This amounts to 16 percent of the global market share. Next to the traditional branches of industry - chemicals and plastics (Leuna, Bitterfeld), optics (Jena) and microelectronics (Dresden), the solar industry has now also established itself among the most important industries in the region.

At present, there are already more than 5000 people employed in the photovoltaic industry. The turnover of this sector stood at more than 1.5 billion Euro. For the year 2010, more than 10.000 employees and a turnover of more than three billion Euro are envisioned. The industry achieved an annual growth rate of more than 40 percent during the past years.

It is expected that growth, maybe decreasing slightly, will continue at a similar rate during the years to come. Contrary to the aforementioned other industrial branches, in the solar industry, most headquarters as well as research- and development departments are situated in the region of Central Germany. That is unheard of for an industrial branch in the new federal states of Germany.

The ZIK SiLi-nano is located on a very attractive scientific campus, the technology park weinberg campus. The development of this park has been vigorous during these past years, and continues at a dynamic rate. weinberg campus in Halle as a research site has accumulated a potential for further breakthroughs in the areas of research and development, which is remarkable even by international standards. This guarantees ideal preconditions for the success of SiLi-nano program.

Map of scientific environment Halle (Saale)
Solar Valley Central Germany
Aerial view weinberg campus.
Aerial view weinberg campus. 1 - SiLi-nano, 2 - Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, 3 - Max-Planck-Institute of Microstructure Physics, 4 - Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials, 5 - TGZ III

 

The high concentration of innovative potential is almost second to none in the new federal states of Germany. About 3500 jobs exist at present. Adjacent to the weinberg campus, a large selection of attractive real estate well suited for building purposes is for sale.

The whole quarter is accessible by public and individual transport and contains many green areas open to the public. Adding to these positive features of the weinberg campus, the city of Halle as a whole has been continuously improved by urban development measures and thereby has undergone a very positive transformation during the past years. There is increased visual attractiveness of many areas of the city to begin with. This is complemented by opportunities for shopping, which are now also very attractive in the city centre, and a host of cultural, culinary and leisure activities. Moreover, the housing market boasts a large array of attractive properties, the price level of which is moderate compared to other cities.

As is typical of Central Germany, an ample provision of child care facilities is available. This marks a further important attraction for potential employees of SiLi-nano, should they already have a family. It is the declared goal of local and state politics to improve the still relatively weak economic structure of the city of Halle. The steps envisioned to reach this goal include attracting cutting-edge technology companies in the medium term as well as expanding Halle as a centre for science- and high-technology enterprises.

The SiLi-nano program will thereby fit ideally into the field of materials sciences, which is a major funding priority of Saxony-Anhalt. Next to life sciences, orientalism and enlightenment studies, the MLU has designated materials sciences as one of their core areas. Since two years, Saxony-Anhalt has supported the core area materials sciences with research grants in the area of nanostructured materials. All three of the applying institutions are part of this core area.

For the support and further extension of these activities, the European Union contributed about 30 million Euro to build the Technologie- und Gründerzentrum III (TGZ III) - technology and start-up centre - on the weinberg campus. The TGZ III has been completed, featuring a cleanroom for the production and characterization of nanostructures. The state of Saxony-Anhalt has provided research grants for the equipment of the nanofabrication cleanroom. There, all three applying institutions will carry out research within the framework of SiLi-nano program.

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