Press release of December 9, 2025

Decision made on future CASUS location in Görlitz

Supervisory Board approves: HZDR institute to relocate to building complex between Lunitz and Grüner Graben

The Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) will be based in the building complex of the former Görlitz job center in the future. This was decided by the HZDR Supervisory Board at its regular meeting on December 9, 2025.

The building between Grüner Graben and Lunitz is to be converted to house CASUS. State-of-the-art, high-performance IT technology will be installed, and offices and conference rooms will be set up. Here too, the Supervisory Board has signalled its approval.

CASUS is an institute of the HZDR and is jointly funded by the German federal government and the Free State of Saxony. In addition to the HZDR, the founding members are the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig (UFZ), the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden, and the Technical University of Dresden (TUD).

Saxony's Minister of Science Sebastian Gemkow welcomes the decision:

“This is good news for the international team at CASUS, which urgently needs the new premises in order to continue its positive scientific development. The topics being researched here using completely new approaches will give us a much better understanding in the future of why highly complex systems such as human health or the climate function the way they do. The insights gained here have enormous potential for innovation and the development of new technologies to solve problems in a wide variety of areas. This requires the best possible conditions, which will be created at the new location.“

The Scientific Director of the HZDR, Prof. Sebastian M. Schmidt, adds:

“Since its start in 2019, CASUS has become a magnet for the brightest minds from around the world. The numerous awards and grants, for example from the European Research Council, that CASUS has already received in this short time are impressive proof of this. With the new location, we are now raising the research conditions to a more suitable level. In doing so, we are further expanding the attractiveness of CASUS and the visibility of the Lusatia and Lower Silesia science region in the heart of Europe.”

According to CASUS Director Prof. Thomas D. Kühne, the location decision is a prerequisite for the institute's further development:

“With its permanent location, CASUS is becoming more firmly anchored in the science city of Görlitz. Close networking with partners such as the German Center for Astrophysics, the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, and other regional and supraregional institutions creates ideal conditions for even more effective collaboration on projects in the future.”

CASUS is currently spread across several rented locations in Görlitz, including offices on Untermarkt and “Werk 1,” serving as temporary solutions.

Several sites in Görlitz were considered during the location search. The building of the former Görlitz Job Center is an ideal location for CASUS in terms of concept and requirements (space requirements, location, and sustainability). The remodeling is currently estimated to cost around €29.4 million. Now that the decision on the location has been made, the next steps are detailed planning of the renovation followed by the construction phase.

The establishment of CASUS is anchored in the Investment Act for Coal Regions (InvKG) as a structural change support measure by the federal government. Institutional support under the InvKG is provided by the federal government and the Free State of Saxony in a ratio of 90:10. Long-term financing is secured until 2038 through regional development funds.