Phosphorus is a vital mineral. Used as a fertiliser in agriculture, it cannot be replaced by any other substance. However, global phosphorus reserves are running out. This poses far-reaching consequences in view of the growing world population. In addition, the inefficient use of phosphorus has a significant impact on the environment: if, for example, large quantities of unused phosphorus enter the material cycles of ecosystems via agricultural wastewater, this can lead to overfertilisation, which throws the entire system out of balance. The newly founded Leibniz Science Campus Rostock is addressing these challenges.
On Wednesday in Warnemünde, the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Consumer Protection, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, the University of Rostock, the Leibniz Association and five Leibniz Institutes founded the "Leibniz Science Campus Rostock: Phosphorus Research" and signed a corresponding cooperation agreement. The aim of this interdisciplinary collaboration is to research phosphorus, a raw material that is becoming increasingly scarce.
"Without phosphorus, agriculture cannot function, because phosphorus is an important substance without which plant growth would not be possible. The fertiliser industry uses a total of 82 per cent of the phosphates mined worldwide," explained Agriculture and Environment Minister Dr Till Backhaus. "In view of the growing world population, the high global demand for food and feed, and the decline in global phosphorus reserves, there are far-reaching consequences for the agricultural and food industries and thus for all consumers. I hope that scientists will show us ways to deal with dwindling phosphorus resources and what new ways there are to recycle phosphorus or use it more efficiently," said Backhaus.
Matthias Kleiner, President of the Leibniz Association, said in his welcoming address: “Even before its official establishment today, the Leibniz Science Campus Rostock has already gained tremendous momentum: it succeeded in bringing the International Phosphorus Workshop to Germany for the first time in 2016. This already underscores its high international visibility.”
"The Leibniz Science Campus creates a platform where researchers from different disciplines can work on complex issues and where scientific training takes on a new quality thanks to this close cooperation," emphasised Ulrich Bathmann, Director of the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research.
"The Science Campus is a living example of interdisciplinary cooperation. The Science Campus is a distinction for the research landscape in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania," praised Mathias Brodkorb, Minister of Education and Science.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Consumer Protection is providing start-up funding of 85,000 euros per year in 2014 and 2015. A similar amount is expected for 2016 and 2017. The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture has pledged €80,000 from 2018 until the Leibniz Science Campus is completed. Funding is planned until 2020 at the latest. The Leibniz Association is supporting the Science Campus as a special strategic measure with start-up funding of €150,000 from its impulse fund.
The Science Campus brings together the expertise of five Leibniz Institutes and the University of Rostock, thus ensuring that the most diverse aspects of phosphorus and its diverse chemical compounds. In addition to basic and applied research, the development and transfer of technologies will contribute to economic development.
The following Leibniz Institutes are involved in the Science Campus: the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT), the Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research (IOW), the Leibniz Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) and the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP).
The Leibniz Science Campus cooperation model
The Science Campus is a model of regional cooperation between Leibniz institutions and universities. As equal partners, they work on clearly defined scientific issues of mutual interest, complementing each other with their expertise and different perspectives. The regional proximity, a common strategy and interdisciplinary research approaches related to topics, projects and methods are the strengths of the Leibniz Science Campuses. They offer ideal conditions for working on socially relevant issues, further developing entire research divisions and strengthening the scientific environment at the location for the topic. This gives the regional research landscape a higher profile and international visibility.
Six Leibniz Science Campuses have been established since 2009:
- Leibniz Science Campus Tübingen: Education in Information Environments
- Leibniz Science Campus Mainz: Byzantium between the Orient and the Occident
- Leibniz Science Campus Halle: Plant-based Bioeconomy
- Leibniz Science Campus Mannheim: Mannheim Centre for Competition and Innovation (MaCCI)
- Leibniz Science Campus MannheimTax: Tax policy of the future
- Leibniz Science Campus Rostock: Phosphorus research
The Leibniz Association
The Leibniz Association connects 89 independent research institutions. Their focus ranges from the natural sciences, engineering and environmental sciences to economics, spatial and social sciences, and the humanities ( ). Leibniz Institutes address socially, economically and ecologically relevant questions. They conduct knowledge-and application-oriented fundamental research. They maintain scientific infrastructures and offer research-based services. The Leibniz Association focuses on knowledge transfer to politics, science, industry and the public. Leibniz Institutes maintain intensive cooperation with universities – including in the form of Leibniz Science Campuses – with industry and other partners in Germany and abroad. They are subject to a transparent and independent evaluation process that sets standards. Due to their national significance, the institutes of the Leibniz Association are jointly funded by the federal and state governments. The Leibniz Institutes employ around 17,500 people, including 8,800 scientists. The total budget of the institutes is 1.5 billion euros.
